Forgotten Family
by Colleen17
Summary: **AU** Johnny's life is changed bringing with it responsibility and challenges. He meets the change head on and soon discovers how important family and friends are. **Warning** In this story station 51 has grown apart, especially Roy and Johnny.
1. Chapter 1

"So you bought it….just like that." Roy DeSoto looked at his paramedic partner in disbelief.

"I told you if I ever bought a house it would be there….remember when we filled in at 86. It's beautiful country…Vince put me onto the house….It needs a lot of fixing up but it's perfect Roy…It's…" Roy could see that Johnny was about to give him a very detailed description of the house. He raised his hands to stop his partner from talking.

"Johnny….I honestly don't think I have time to hear about the house. We have roll call in five minutes and we still need to do the morning check on the squad."

Johnny continued to get changed in silence, his conversations with Roy ended more often than not abruptly these days. He was so excited this morning, wanting to tell his friends about his house, and now he felt let down. Roy's lack of interest made him feel despondent and reminded him of his absence of family, whom you would normally share this news with.

Johnny ran into Vince later in the shift. "So you bought it...That's great...We'll be neighbours. Are you going to transfer to 86?"

"Thinking about it Vince. The paramedics aren't on 24hr shifts like us. They work 12 hour shifts, 4days on 4 days off. I'd have to wait for an opening." Johnny had been thinking about transferring for some time. His interest in the area had developed into a goal and he had been saving as much as he could for a deposit on a house.

In the evening, while everyone was watching TV, Johnny sat at the kitchen table and started to write a list. He started off with things he wanted in his ideal home. He then listed each room in his house and worked out how he would change it, taking into account his wants list. He knew he was going to be working on the house for a long time if he was going to make it his ideal home.

Cap called lights out and as Johnny lay in his bunk a satisfied feeling came over him. He had made the right decision in buying the house; it would fill the empty voids that had been developing in his life over the past year.

Roy never did get around to seeing or discussing Johnny's house before he signed the contracts. Johnny turned to other friends in the fire department for advice and acceptance. It was a growing trend as the two friends grew apart.

"This is great Johnny. I can see many a get together for a BBQ here. Decking has to be one of the first projects." Johnny felt a pang in his heart when he thought about the many BBQ's station 51 had when Captain Stanley first took over. They had become a thing of the past as the crew members did their own thing on their days off. It wasn't just he and Roy; the whole crew had really grown apart over the last year.

"I need to replace the roof first then the decking Ted." Johnny shook his head.

"Yeah Ted...last thing Johnny needs is to wake up floating in his bed first storm." Kurt winked at Johnny. "It's going to take a lot of work, but I can see this being something really good. You've done well...it's a real find...a little gem."

"My piece of heaven." Johnny slapped Kurt on the back.

"It is real pretty up here." Ted indicated as he admired the view from the back of the house. After the signing of the contracts it was friends like Kurt and Ted who helped him move in.

Johnny sat in the kitchen of his house and went over his finances. He had enough left over to not only replace the roof but to also purchase the materials needed for the decking. If he could get his friends to help with the roof, he would have more money available for other projects, such as, painting. Over the next few weeks working bees took place and soon the major projects were completed.

A contented Johnny sat on his deck and drank his coffee. He was tired. The last 48 hour shift had been a nightmare. On the first day they had to contend with a horrific pile up on the 405. Fire from an exploding tanker had engulfed many cars and their trapped occupants. A lot of citizens had died and many more had been badly injured and burned.

That night they had been called out to a major structure fire. Five stations including station 51 had been involved from the beginning to the end, including clean up. They had not made it to bed until 2am the next morning. They had all jumped into their cars and headed for home as soon as it was time to leave.

He sat and took in the view of the mountains. They radiated peace and tranquillity, soothing his soul. He thought about station 86, the somewhat quieter station appealed to him. _'Maybe it's time to make that move.' _Hethought, the last 48 hours endorsing those thoughts. He was happy that he had his house to come home to and relax.

The phone rang waking the dozing paramedic. He had nodded off whilst relaxing on his deck. Johnny stepped through the sliding glass doors and grabbed the phone extension in the kitchen. "Hello." He was half expecting Roy to be on the other end; neither had had a chance to talk after the shift, not that they talked that much these days, but the shift had been a bad one. Although both men were still good friends at work, outside of work was a different story. Socially they moved in different circles which meant they didn't spend that much time outside of their jobs together anymore.

Roy had recently reconnected with some of his army friends on one of their anniversaries. Since then Roy and his family had been enjoying mixing with his army friends and their families. Johnny found himself spending more time with other paramedics. Roy still hadn't seen or visited his house because he was always too busy.

"Mr John Gage?" A female voice said his name asking for verification.

"Yes this is John Gage."

"Excuse me Mr Gage but I need to check that I have the correct Mr John Gage. Was your mother's name, Elizabeth Williams?"

"Yes but she's no longer with us."

"Your mother had a brother named Jay Williams and he had a daughter named Hachi?"

"Yes but I haven't seen or spoken to them since my mom died."

"I'm sorry to tell you this Mr Gage but your Uncle and cousin died two months ago in a motor vehicle accident."

John was stunned by the news. They were his only living blood relatives. His mother only had one brother and his father had a sister who never married. She had died a couple of years ago. They were all gone.

"Mr Gage I'm sorry to be blunt but I need to know if you are aware of any other blood relatives on your mother's side?"

"Ahh….no….there's no one else. I have no other blood relatives."

"That's where you're wrong Mr Gage. There is another blood relative. Wayna Williams, Hachi's son….My name is Judith Ross and I am the social worker in charge of your cousin's case. There is no record of his father; the boy could only tell us that his mother told him that he was a soldier and had died in Vietnam and that he had no living relatives. Hachi's close friends verified the story. That brings us back to you being Wayna's only relative. At the moment he is being cared for by a family who live on the property next to your Uncle's, but it is only temporary. They are the ones who told us about you."

"That would be the Rogers. I remember them." Johnny had not liked Mr Rogers because he drank too much. He didn't like the idea of Wayna staying with them.

"Yes that's right. Now since you are Wayna's only known relative….some decisions have to be made. As I said his stay with the Rogers is only temporary." The woman sighed into the phone. She was going to have to spell it out for this man. "Are you willing to take custody of Wayna Mr Gage?"

"Custody? Ummm….How old is he? Are you sure there is no one else? I'm not married." Johnny had all sorts of thoughts running through his mind. He had room for Wayna but his job would mean that he would have to stay with someone else overnight. Some of his friends would help out but this was a lot of responsibility.

"Wayna is ten Mr Gage. He needs his family." Johnny sighed into the phone. He understood what Ms Ross was implying, having lost his mother and father at a young age. He would just have to make it work for Wayna's sake.

"Yes of course. I guess I better come get him." Johnny had no idea how he was going to make it work but he knew Wayna needed him. When his parents had died he was lucky an Aunt had taken him in and looked after him until he graduated high school. He would need to do the same for Wayna. They were family.

"Thank you Mr Gage. There will be some forms to fill out so could you call into my office first before picking up Wayna. Now when can we expect you?" Johnny couldn't help but think that this woman was all business, nothing else.

"Well….I'll have to call HQ and make arrangements for time off. If they agree to me taking time off, then I guess I could leave first thing tomorrow and be there in two days, making it Thursday. Does Wayna know about me?"

"He's aware he has a cousin who lives in Los Angeles. His mother told him about you. He knows that you are his only living relative."

"Ok well I guess I'll see you Thursday." Johnny got Miss Ross's phone number and office address. He then called HQ and arranged for leave; it was approved when Johnny explained the circumstances. He then called Cap to let him know what was happening. He had tried Roy first but there had been no answer.

"This is a lot of responsibility John. How will you cope?"

"I'll have to get help from my friends until I can organise something more permanent." Cap thought Johnny was underestimating the responsibility but he knew he had a lot of friends who would help out. His paramedic didn't have much choice since there was no one else to take in the boy. After speaking to his Cap, Johnny called Craig Brice.

Johnny and Craig had become good friends, despite their rocky start. Johnny had been helping out at the local youth centre for some time and when Craig turned up to also help out they quickly became friends. Bob Bellingham, Craig's paramedic partner, had suggested that Craig help out at the youth centre hoping to mellow his up-tight partner. It worked.

Johnny soon learned once you got past the regulations Craig Brice, that there was a very caring and somewhat lonely man. They both learnt that they had a lot in common, including no family. Like Ted and Kurt, Craig filled one of the empty voids in Johnny's life by becoming a very close friend.

After explaining everything to Craig, it was Craig who suggested that he and Kurt set up Johnny's spare room for a ten year old boy. Johnny left some money for his friends, but they were certain that they would be able to obtain the furniture for free from other fire-fighters. Johnny left it in his friend's capable hands. Little did he know that a working bee had been organised and was ready to get Wayna's room organised before he arrived at his new home.

Johnny left the next morning as a single man, and would return as a single guardian of a ten year old boy. He was soon going to find that the empty voids in his life were about to become very busy.


	2. Chapter 2

Johnny left at dawn, wanting to beat the LA morning traffic. He made it out of the city with relative ease and found himself pondering over what changes he would have to make to his lifestyle to include a ten year old boy. He remembered when he first moved to LA and how overwhelming it was. At least his Aunt was not a total stranger; he couldn't imagine how Wayna felt.

What he did know is that his cousin would have lived a very sheltered life on the reservation. Big cities were something he would have only seen and read about in books at school. _'School.'_ Johnny hadn't thought about school. He had to think where the school was located in his area. He remembered seeing buildings that looked like a school on the other side of station 86. He'd have to get his school records transferred. _'I better make a list.'_ He tried to slow down his thoughts as he drove on.

Johnny pulled into a truck stop. He filled up, grabbed a coffee to go and pulled out a pen and paper from his backpack. He always made lists when he had something big to do. Roy had laughed at his lists especially the ones he made before going on camping trips, until the older paramedic forgot his air mattress. Johnny saddened when he thought about Roy and the distance that had grown between them socially. However, he was sure that his partner despite everything would help him with any problems with Wayna, being a father himself.

These days he mostly went camping by himself, since Roy was always busy with his old army friends. On the odd occasion another fire-fighter would ask him to join them on a trip but co-ordinating days off quite often meant he would have to decline their offer. _'Camping gear.'_ Johnny added this to his growing list. He would be able to teach Wayna what he missed out on learning from his great grandfather. He doubted if Uncle Jay would have taught Wayna much about camping, being busy with the ranch, besides, he didn't seem to be the camping type. He continued on his journey, only stopping for gas and food.

Meanwhile, Johnny's house was a hive of activity. Furniture and toys were being carefully arranged in the spare room. Kurt had a box of books from his childhood that his mother had kept. He put them in the bookcase given to them from one of the Captain's from station 86. The bed was donated by Vince, his son having outgrown the bed. A chest of draws was from Craig Brice, he had them in storage because they didn't fit in his studio apartment.

They only used Johnny's money to purchase a pillow and some food. They left the house satisfied that the room was set up, hopefully to Johnny's cousin's liking.

When Roy arrived for shift he was bombarded with questions from Chet as to the whereabouts of his partner. "I have no idea Chet." Roy said apathetically.

"Robertson said he's filling in for two shifts at least….HQ told him it may be more." Chet was frustrated. He didn't like not knowing what was going on.

Roy shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say Chet? I was busy on my days off with some friends….We went down to San Diego for a couple of days. We went across the border into Mexico…..You should see some of the bargains we came back with…"

"Roy…What about Gage…." Chet interrupted exasperated with the senior paramedic.

"Johnny doesn't tell me everything he does on his days off." Roy lent down and continued to tie his boots. Chet frowned; he hated not knowing. Roy had made the presumption that his partner had gone on one of the many rock climbing, camping trips he made with other paramedics.

As Johnny got closer to his hometown, old memories flooded his brain. A lot of the towns looked the same from when he was a kid, apart from the odd newer shopping mall. Small towns tended to stand still in time and his hometown was no exception. He found the small building that housed Miss Ross's office.

"Mr Gage….Take a seat…..I have all the papers here for you to sign." Miss Ross carefully laid out the custody papers. "The ranch will be sold and the money will be put in trust for Wayna."

"Good. If he wants to go to college, he'll have funds."

"He doesn't have a lot of belongings so you should have plenty of room in your car."

Johnny read through the papers carefully before signing. Miss Ross waited for the young man to finish. It impressed her that he took the time to read through everything. The fact that he had actually turned up was a miracle in her books. She had seen many children abandoned by their only living relative.

Johnny looked up expectantly after signing the last form. "Is Wayna still out at the Roger's ranch?"

"No, he's in the next office. Mr Rogers insisted that he wait for you here. He's a difficult man and very set in his ways." Miss Ross was trying to be diplomatic and not sound annoyed.

"I never really liked him. To be honest, when I was a kid, I was a little afraid of him; he drank too much and would get pretty mean sometimes."

"Yes well, there are a few growing problems around here but the Rogers were the best solution at the time. His wife was very good to Wayna."

Johnny nodded in understanding. He felt his stomach knot when Miss Ross guided him into the next room. He honestly didn't know what to expect and he was nervous.

Johnny took in the sight of a small boy sitting on a couch reading a book. The boy looked up when the door opened. The first thing that grabbed Johnny's attention was the big brown eyes. The depth of sadness they held made his heart skip a beat. He waited for Miss Ross to introduce him before approaching the boy.

"Hello Wayna." Johnny held out his hand. Wayna's small hand clasped his hand tightly, giving the paramedic the impression that the boy was relieved to be in the presence of a relative. It was apparent, he being a stranger was not important. Johnny, putting himself in Wayna's place, could understand how he felt. This was his only blood relative; a bond was immediately formed.

"Well Wayna I guess this is goodbye. Be good for Mr Gage and take care."

"Thank you Miss Ross." Wayna half smiled at the social worker.

"This is all of Wayna's things." She pointed to two boxes and a small bag. Johnny remembered his list. He pulled it out of his pocket and read down the list for what he was looking for.

"I have just a couple of things to ask before we leave. Wayna's school records and any medical records….Do you have them? Or, will I have to get them?"

Miss Ross was surprised that this young man was so organised. "His school records will be transferred to his new school automatically. The new school will take care of that. His medical records…I presume his new doctor will have to put in a request for them."

"Who is your doctor Wayna?" Johnny didn't want to talk like the boy was not in the room so he directed the question to his cousin.

"I only went to the clinic on the reservation." Again the big brown eyes captured Johnny.

"Ok…I'll get my doctor to put in a request." Johnny turned to Miss Ross and held out his hand. "Thanks for looking after Wayna and for finding me. I hate to think what would have happened to him if you hadn't of found me." Miss Ross nodded in understanding.

"Ok let's make a move Wayna. I'll take the boxes if you grab your bag." Wayna picked up his bag and followed the paramedic out to his pickup truck. They put the items in the back and Johnny pulled the cover over them, securing them.

Wayna stood next to the passenger door looking towards the reservation. Johnny sighed knowing how hard this must be on his cousin. He was about to leave the only place he knew. The paramedic placed his hand on his cousin's shoulder. He was alarmed to discover the boy was shaking.

"I know this is hard Wayna…"

"No you don't. Why wouldn't they let me bring Feather? He's no trouble. I would have looked after him."

Johnny frowned in confusion. "Feather…who's Feather?"

Wayna sniffed. "He's my dog. Momma gave him to me just before…before…"

Johnny squeezed Wayna's shoulder, understanding. "Where is he now?"

"He's still at my house. I sneaked over there every day to feed him. Mr Rogers wouldn't let me bring him."

"Well, we better go get him."

"Really?" Wayna looked up at Johnny with those same big brown eyes.

"Yes really." Johnny smiled.

"Thank you Mr Gage."

"Wayna…Call me Johnny from now on."

"Ok…Johnny." For the first time the boy's smile reached his eyes. His smile reminded Johnny of his grandfather. He knew he was doomed from the start, he would agree to do anything in answer to those eyes.

"A kid?"

"That's what he said Roy. Johnny is apparently his only living relative." Cap had told Roy about his partner's phone call.

"He's actually gone to get him and to take custody of him?" Roy said in disbelief.

"Yes. He should be back in LA by Sunday at the latest. He did say he may need a couple of more days off to organise a few things."

"Organise a few things…Is he out of his mind? He can't organise himself let alone a child." Roy put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

Cap frowned at Roy's actions. "Just a minute Roy, I think you're selling John a bit short here."

"I'm with Roy." Chet injected. "He's a kid himself Cap."

Cap sighed. He didn't like talking about his youngest crew member without him being able to defend himself. "Let's just wait till he gets back and then we can at least help John."

"I don't know Cap….Gage needs all the help he can get just to function let alone look after a kid." Chet shook his head and walked towards the kitchen.

Roy was stunned. His partner had no experience with kids. What was he thinking? As usual he wasn't, Roy surmised.

"I'm sure John knows what he is doing…Besides...What else could he do? There was no-one else." Cap shrugged his shoulders as Roy stood stunned and ran his hand through his hair.

"I don't know Cap…Johnny and a kid in his apartment…What's he going to do when he's working? He can't leave the kid alone overnight. As usual Johnny goes in without thinking things through." Roy walked away, following Chet's path into the day room.

_'Apartment? Doesn't John own a house now?'_ Cap was sure John had told him a few months back that he had bought a house. He walked into his office and picked up his manuals to study for becoming a chief; his paramedic's situation was soon forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3

Johnny followed Wayna into the barn. A small brown and white terrier jumped from a wooden crate as the barn door was opened. The puppy wagged his tail so hard that his bottom shook with it.

"Feather!" Wayna called out and slapped his thighs. The dog ran and jumped into the waiting arms of his owner. Feather's eyes matched Wayna's. They both looked at Johnny expectantly; eyes shining.

"I'm doomed." Johnny walked over and picked up Feather's makeshift bed. "Come on…let's go." Johnny sighed in resignation. He knew he would never be able to say no to his cousin or his dog for that matter.

The small family settled themselves in the pickup and headed towards LA. Wayna watched his familiar countryside disappear and as the different scenery rushed past, his eyes grew heavy. It wasn't long before both the boy and his dog that was snuggly settled in his lap, were asleep.

A couple of hours later, Johnny pulled into a truck stop. Wayna rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Johnny smiled at his cousin. "Hungry?"

Wayna's stomach growled in reply. He bowed his head in embarrassment. "Yes a little…I promise not to eat much."

"Huh? Eat as much as you like, I don't mind. Why did you promise not to eat much?"

"Mr Rogers always complained about how much food was eaten. I tried not to eat too much but my stomach kept growling." Wayna rubbed his stomach.

Johnny frowned. "Mr Rogers hasn't changed much over the years. He used to complain when I was a kid. Let's just clear up few things here. You can eat as much as you need…but you'll have to tell me what you like and don't like. If you need anything and I mean anything…don't be afraid to ask me. I might not always be able to get it but I'll try to give you everything you need…This is going to be different for both of us, so we need to talk to each other. If we don't, it won't work. Understand?"

"Yes…so if my stomach growls…its ok to ask for some food?"

Johnny ruffled Wayna's hair. "Yes." Johnny's stomach growled. Both cousins laughed. "It must run in the family."

They hit the road after eating. When the sun was starting to set they stopped in a Camping Park that had small cabins available for overnight stays. They went to sleep early; Johnny wanted to get an early start in the morning. He woke up with a heavy feeling on his chest. He opened his eyes and looked down. Sometime during the night Wayna had got into his bed and snuggled up to him. He smiled; the feeling of being needed warmed his heart. He laid there for a few minutes relishing the moment. He slid out from under the boy carefully.

Johnny went through his morning stretches while the jug boiled. He made some coffee and sat outside and watched the sun rise. He was starting to appreciate how much responsibility taking custody of his cousin meant. The young boy asleep inside the cabin totally relied on him; he felt a deep protectiveness towards his cousin.

"I'm hungry…so is Feather." Johnny turned around and smiled at the boy and his dog. Those big brown eyes were making his heart melt.

"Ok, shower, get dressed and then breakfast." He walked up the stairs into the cabin. Before long they were on their way. They stopped at the first diner they came across to have their breakfast.

Johnny watched his cousin drown his pancakes in maple syrup. It dripped down the boy's chin as he ate. Feather licked it off. The dog was good for Wayna, giving him unconditional love. Johnny supposed that Feather, with his connection to his mom, probably helped his cousin cope with his loss. They finished their breakfast and were soon on their way again.

"Hey Ted….I heard from Johnny. He's about a third of the way home. They should be home either late Saturday or early Sunday. He asked if we could buy some dry dog food for a young terrier. Do you know what I should buy?" Kurt didn't know much about dogs having never owned one himself.

"Hang on a sec….BRET….Question for ya! What kind of dog food do you give a young terrier?" Kurt heard Bret name something in the background. "Solid Gold Sun-Dancer. According to Bret it's the best on the market."

"Thanks Ted….I knew someone at the station would know."

"Yeah well Bret breeds dogs so I'd definitely take his word for it…So not only is Johnny bringing home his cousin but a dog too?"

"Yep. Johnny said the boy and his dog are inseparable."

"What about Johnny's yard. We better go over there tomorrow and check the fence. Wouldn't want the dog running away."

"Yeah you're right. I'll meet you there around ten. I'll call Craig and see if he wants to come…he's working OT at 43." Kurt tried to visualise Johnny's fence in his mind. Johnny had been working mainly on the interior of the house. He was certain some of the fence would need fixing.

"Bret said he'd come over and check out the fence and help make it dog proof." Another working bee had been established for Johnny's home.

When Roy got home he told Joanne about Johnny becoming a guardian of a ten year old boy. She like Roy wondered how he was going to cope.

"What do you think he'll do when he's working?" She was more concerned for the child's welfare, than the fact that her husband's immature partner would be his guardian, as Roy had put it.

"I have no idea and I'll bet you Johnny has no idea either. He's crazy and he'll drive that kid crazy with his big ideas and his neighbours. Don't get me started on his neighbours…they drop in at all hours." Joanne shook her head. "Are we meeting up with Ross and Julie today?" Roy put his partner and his dilemma quickly out of his mind. A couple of years ago he and Joanne would have been trying to work out how to help their young friend, but time and new friends had changed that. The sad truth was that Roy had grown tired of his once best friend. He still loved working with him but socially they had grown very much apart.

It all began over a year ago when Roy had organised a BBQ. He invited his old army buddies and their families along with the crew of station 51. The seeds were sown in Roy's mind when a few of his buddies commented on how immature his partner seemed to them. The bantering between Johnny and Chet had given them the wrong impression. The fact that Johnny came off looking silly because Chet once again had outwitted him didn't help.

Roy started to be more judgemental about his partner and his lifestyle, and soon stopped including him in family activities. He allowed his army buddies quick impressions of his partner to change the way he felt about him. Soon the two friends no longer spent time together outside of work. The same trend unfortunately spread through the whole station.

Johnny pointed out things of interest to Wayna as they drove. "What do you like doing?"

"I like to play with Feather."

"Before you had Feather what did you do in your free time?"

"I read..." Wayna glanced sideways at his cousin, waiting for the scoff that he so often got from his grandfather.

Johnny glimpsed at his cousin questionably and saw that his cousin was waiting for him to speak. "I like reading too…but…what else?"

"I play the drums….one of the elders taught me….I guess I'll have to try to teach myself now."

"Did you bring your drum with you?"

"Yes…it's in one of the boxes. So are some of my books."

"Maybe we can find someone to help you with the drum in LA. There's not many of our people in LA but I'm sure we'll find someone. What else?"

Wayna shrugged. "I'd just play around the ranch. I'd play with the kittens in the barn and the puppies when we had them. Grandfather always sold them. That's why momma bought me Feather…so that I'd always have him to play with." Wayna patted the dog who was now sitting between the cousins. Johnny thought about the different activities he did as a kid. Wayna seemed to miss out on a lot of the outdoor things.

"Do you like fishing and camping…those sorts of things?"

"I only went fishing a couple of times with my friend and his dad. It was fun but the river dried up so we couldn't go anymore. I've never been camping. Grandpa never had time…too much to do on the ranch. I know how to ride a horse…I'm good at that. Grandpa said so."

"I can teach you about camping. My grandfather, your great grandfather, taught me. I hope to build a barn and have a couple of horses one day. My property's big enough but I still have to finish a few projects on the house. We could go riding on my friend's property. I haven't been for a while. He's got some good horses."

"What was great grandfather like?" Wayna looked at Johnny with his big brown eyes. The paramedic took a second glance at his cousin.

"You have his eyes. He was a very wise man. He taught me a lot about respecting the land and people."

Johnny spent the next hour telling Wayna what it was like growing up on the reservation with his parents and his grandfather. The memories came flooding back and it felt good to be able to share them with someone that it meant something to.


	4. Chapter 4

Johnny's house was a welcomed sight as the weary paramedic drove up the driveway. Wayna had fallen asleep soon after they had stopped for supper. He had pushed himself to make it home that night, not wanting to spend another night on the road.

He unlocked the front door, switched on lights and quickly made his way down to the spare room his friends had set up for his cousin. He smiled as his eyes wondered around the room. "Wow…this is incredible. Man I owe my friends big time." He pulled back the covers of the bed.

Wayna never stirred as Johnny lifted him from the truck, undressed him and placed him under the covers of his bed. He felt the urge to kiss him on the forehead to say goodnight but faltered, not sure if he should. Although they seemed to be getting along he was still unsure about the relationship.

He set up Feather in his new bed in the laundry. A bowl and a bag of dog food were on the kitchen table. Johnny read the note that had been left next to the bowl.

_Johnny,_

_Bret suggested you keep the dog in the laundry for the first few nights til he gets used to his new home. We've checked the fences and 'dog proofed' them but Bret said to be aware terriers are jumpers._

_Give me a call when you get back._

_Kurt_

Johnny checked his watch. It was just after eleven. He knew Kurt was working the next day so he held off calling. He unloaded the truck, settling everything in the front room. He peeked inside Wayna's boxes. First thing that caught his eye was the blanket. He remembered it from his childhood. It belonged to Wayna's mom. He took it out, carefully unfolded it and placed it over Wayna's bed. _'Something familiar to wake up to,'_ he thought.

He placed Wayna's drum on top of the chest of drawers. He ran his fingers over the surface of the drum and felt a shiver run through him. All his people's items were very spiritual, his grandfather having taught him that. This drum would have been made with such care and pride by the maker that a little of his spirit was left in the drum. He checked his cousin one last time and left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar.

The paramedic put some coffee on and sorted through his clothes. He put his clothes for washing in the laundry and noticed Feather was awake. "What's up fella? Miss your master?" Johnny scratched behind the dog's ear, his tail wagged in pleasure.

As the paramedic straightened up his knees cracked. Being confined in the truck for nearly five days had left him very stiff. He turned around and was surprised to see Wayna standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Johnny slowed his breathing, his cousin had startled him, not being used to someone else in the house.

"I woke up and didn't know where you were." Johnny smiled at his cousin. His sleepy eyes made him look so much younger.

"I was just settling Feather."

"He has his own bed." Wayna knelt down and stroked his dog's head.

"One of the fire-fighters breeds dogs. I suspect he left it for Feather…..Come on its late, back to bed." Johnny guided Wayna back to his room. He switched on the light and watched his cousin inspect the room. All the neatly stacked books in the bookcase caught his eyes.

"Wow! Can I read these books?" He ran his fingers over their spines.

"Sure can….I don't know how the guys knew but yeah these books are yours to read whenever you want."

"Can I read one now?" Wayna pleaded with his eyes.

Johnny had to control the urge to instantly say yes. He cleared his throat. "It's late, you really should go back to sleep."

"But I'm wide awake now." Again the big brown eyes pulled at his heart strings.

"Ok you can read while I make you some hot chocolate. That'll help you sleep." Wayna smiled and happily chose a book to read.

Johnny left his cousin's room shaking his head. "I'm so doomed."

The next morning Johnny found his cousin in the kitchen reading. He noticed that Feather had been fed. He was sitting contently under Wayna's chair.

"Good morning." Wayna looked up at his cousin. "Did you sleep well?"

"Good morning…yes I did…I really like my room."

"I'm glad. You can thank my friends when they come over later today. You know you don't have to read all the books this weekend."

Wayna looked at his cousin, unsure whether he was mad at him, but his fears were unnecessary. His cousin had only been teasing because he was smiling with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. He smiled back. Right on cue his stomach growled.

"I guess I better feed that hungry stomach of yours. How about some scrambled eggs and toast?"

"Yes please…Can I help?"

"Sh…sh…sure." Johnny thought about what his young cousin could do that was safe. "How about…you make the toast, while I make the eggs." He placed the toaster on the table, connected an extension cord, and showed Wayna how to use it. He explained where it got hot and told him the golden rule about toasters. "Never put a knife in the toaster if the bread gets stuck." Wayna carefully put the bread in the top of the toaster and pushed it down.

"This is a lot easier. We toasted our bread in front of the fire in the stove at home."

"Yeah, that's how we did it at our place too. This is much better…can't burn the toast."

Johnny quickly whisked the eggs and put them into the frypan. Soon the two cousins were munching away at their breakfast. Wayna continued to read his book while Johnny read the paper. It was as if they had been doing this all their life. The two cousins ate in comfortable silence contented with each other's company.

After breakfast, Johnny called Kurt and Craig and asked them over for a BBQ. He wanted them to meet Wayna. He then called Rampart and asked for Dr Brackett, luckily he was on duty. The paramedic explained about his young cousin and arranged to bring him in for a check-up.

Rampart was the biggest hospital Wayna had ever seen, in fact, some of the buildings they drove by were the biggest he had ever seen. His eyes went wide when Johnny pulled into the parking lot.

"This is Rampart Hospital. This is the hospital I work out of. The doctor you're about to meet is Dr Brackett. Don't worry we're all friends here. Everyone is really nice." Johnny could see that his cousin was a little overwhelmed, so he tried to reassure him.

They entered through the emergency entrance. Johnny spotted Dixie sitting by her counter. "Hi Dix. I'd like you to meet my cousin Wayna. Wayna this lovely lady is Miss McCall."

"Hello Miss McCall." Wayna held out his hand.

Dixie stood and walked to the front of her counter and shook Wayna's hand. She smiled. "Hello Wayna. It's nice to meet you. How long are you staying in LA?"

"Ah Dix….Wayna is going to live with me. I'm his guardian."

"Oh really….well you're in good hands Wayna." Dixie brushed a stray hair off the boy's forehead in a motherly way. Johnny looked on smiling.

"We're here to see Dr Brackett."

"I'll have him paged." Dixie went over to the phone to make the call.

Two paramedics walked up to the nurse's desk. "Johnny."

"Oh hey Roy…Roy I'd like you to meet my cousin Wayna. Wayna this is my partner Mr DeSoto."

"Hello Mr DeSoto." Wayna held out his hand. Roy shook it looking the boy over.

"I'm sure Cap told you about Wayna and that he will be living with me."

"Yeah he mentioned it. What's the story?" Johnny was surprised with Roy's insensitive query in front of Wayna. He looked down at his young cousin and smiled.

"You could say we were meant to be together. Hey champ."

Wayna smiled up at his cousin. "Johnny…Dr Brackett will see you in two."

"Thanks Dix…later Roy. This way Wayna." Johnny was relieved to end his partner's scrutiny.

"Bye Miss McCall…Mr DeSoto." The two cousins walked away.

"He's adorable Roy. Those beautiful eyes…." Dix stood next to the senior paramedic watching Johnny and Wayna enter treatment room two.

"Yeah well, give it time. A few weeks with my partner and he'll be begging to live somewhere else….somewhere normal. What is Johnny going to do when he's on shift?" Roy's remarks, as they did with Johnny earlier, surprised her. His tone was unkind.

"He'll work something out….he has a lot of friends who will help…he'll make sure his cousin is looked after. They'll be fine….besides I think it will be good for Johnny to have Wayna to look after."

"Yeah but will it be good for Wayna?" Roy picked up the HT and turned to leave. "See ya Dix."

Dixie watched Roy and his temporary partner leave. She shook her head, _'When did Roy become so unsupportive?'_

Fifteen minutes later Johnny, Wayna and Dr Brackett exited the treatment room. Dr Brackett ruffled Wayna's hair. "It was nice meeting you Wayna. You keep an eye on that cousin of yours…make sure he behaves himself."

"Why whatever do you mean Doc?" Johnny placed his hand on his chest over his heart.

"Get out of here hose jockey." Dr Brackett slapped Johnny on his back and headed towards his office. "I'll let you know when I receive his records." He called over his shoulder.

"Thanks Doc …See you."

"Bye Dr Brackett."

Dr Brackett turned around and waved at the cousins. "Bye."

"All done?"

"Yeah, it was just a quick check up. Doc's going to organise getting Wayna's records from the clinic on the reservation." Johnny squeezed Wayna's shoulder. "We better get going Dix…Craig and Kurt are coming over this afternoon. We need to buy some supplies."

"Well don't let me hold you boys up. Nice meeting you Wayna. Johnny, if you need any help with anything, just call."

"Thanks Dix. That's good to know. Bye."

"Bye Miss McCall."

"Bye." Dixie waved.

As they walked away Wayna looked up at his cousin. "What does hose jockey mean?"

"Oh that's just a nick name Doc calls all us firemen."

"Everyone was really nice. Not like the clinic on the reservation."

"No I guess not. You'll find a lot of things are different here…some good…some not so good….but you'll get used to it. I did."

"I hope I make nice friends like you." Johnny smiled at his cousin's thoughtfulness.

"Thanks Wayna. I'm sure you will. You've already made two friends. Dr Brackett and Miss McCall….Oh and of course Mr DeSoto." Johnny almost forgot about Roy; their chance meeting had not been entirely pleasant. Roy, as usual, had seemed disapproving of Johnny's current situation. Their growing strained relationship made conversations more forced than relaxed these days.


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt and Craig instantly formed a fraternal friendship with Wayna. Kurt was amazed when the boy showed him what books he had read since he had arrived and then went on to tell him his favourite parts in those same books.

Looking into Wayna's expressive eyes, he felt pressured to find the young boy more books. "I'll check my parent's attic and see if they have any more boxes of books." Johnny shook his head; like himself his friend couldn't resist the young boy's big brown eyes. "What?" Kurt saw his friend shake his head.

"Oh nothing…nothing at all." Johnny was smiling, smugly. Kurt tried to justify himself.

"They were just lying idle in a box at my parent's house. It's good someone is getting some use out of them."

"I totally agree." Johnny said as he placed a hand over his heart. As Kurt walked by, Johnny whispered into his friend's ear. "We are so doomed."

"You might want to get Wayna a library card." Craig constructively added to the conversation, not noticing his friend's exchange.

"Trust you to think of that." Kurt said with a smirk.

"Don't you have a library card? I do, two as a matter of fact." Johnny teased Kurt for knocking Craig. Wayna listened and giggled. Johnny regarded his cousin. It was the first time he had heard him giggle. Both the visiting paramedics were smiling; it was good to hear the young boy relax and enjoy himself.

The next day Johnny enrolled Wayna into the local school. He sat in his truck looking back at the front of the school. He felt reluctant to leave, knowing his young cousin was in there with strangers. He saw the fear in his cousin's eyes as the principal took him to his classroom. _'You'll be back to pick me up after school?' 'I'll be parked right out front waiting for you. If you need anything…the school will call me. I'll bring Feather with me.'_ Both cousins had parted unwillingly, each fearful for different reasons.

Wayna feared that his older cousin would leave him like his mom. Johnny feared that his cousin would be teased for being new and from a reservation.

The paramedic found himself unable to concentrate on his current project. He gave up and sat outside on the steps of his deck. He sighed, missing his cousin terribly. Ted found his friend sitting on the steps of his decking, nursing a small dog, obviously fretting.

"Oh you got it bad, buddy." Ted startled his friend. Johnny had not heard his friend walk up to him from the side gate.

He looked at Ted and shook his head. "I'm just worried…he doesn't know anyone…and…"

"And what?" Ted had an inkling of what his friend was thinking.

Johnny cleared his throat embarrassingly. "I miss him." Feather whimpered.

"You're not the only one." Ted sat down next to Johnny and scratched behind Feather's ear. "He'll be fine. Kids are resilient these days and from what Craig told me last night, don't be surprised if he doesn't have a string of friends by the end of the day." Johnny frowned. Ted had been working last night.

"Craig….when did you speak to Craig?"

"Craig was called in. Billy went home sick. He was coughing up his lungs." Johnny nodded then frowned again.

"Did Billy see Brackett?" Ted patted his friend on the back.

"Yep. It's bronchitis. Couple of days he'll be fine. Come on how about I help you with the sanding." Ted stood up and encouraged Johnny to do the same. Kurt had told Ted at shift changeover that their friend would be worrying over his cousin and would need someone to help him take his mind off his cousin.

"Maybe we should head over to Billy's and check up on him." Johnny was concerned that Billy may be all alone and sick.

"He's fine Johnny. His mom is looking after him." The two friends walked inside the house to work on Johnny's latest project.

Johnny was sitting in his pickup outside the school fifteen minutes early. 3.30 just wouldn't come around quick enough for him. With Ted's help he had managed to finish sanding back the paint from a built in cupboard in the hallway. He was nervous. Feather stood on his hind legs with his front legs on the open window frame watching the front gate of the school. If Johnny had been able to look back on himself and Feather, he would have seen that they both had the same anxious expressions on their faces.

The school bells went off and the large front doors of the main building were swung open. Both Johnny and Feather straightened up and searched the exiting children for Wayna. After a few minutes, which seemed like hours to the older cousin, the young boy emerged from the building with a group of boys around the same age. They were laughing and doing complicated handshakes before they parted.

"Well I'll be damned….Ted was right." Johnny smiled and shook his head. "Well Feather, it seems we spent the day worrying for nothing." Feather was wagging his tail energetically. Johnny had to hold onto him to stop him from jumping out of the truck.

Wayna jumped into passenger side of the truck and was immediately showered with licks from his best friend. "By the big smile on your face….I'd say you had a good day."

"It was the best. At first it was a bit boring….then they moved me to another class. The teacher said I would find it more challenging. I got to use a microscope. I've read about them in books but I've never used one. Danny, he sits next to me, has a microscope at home. He said I could come over one afternoon and use it….and Steven, he sits opposite me has a telescope. That's what you use to look at the stars."

Johnny placed his hand on his cousin's leg to get his attention. "Before you go on, I just need to know if you need anything in particular for school."

"Oh yes. The teacher gave me this." Wayna handed his cousin a list. Johnny ran his eyes down it.

"Ok we'll call into the store on the way home and get all of this." He started up the truck and headed out. "You were telling me about Steven and his telescope…" Wayna went on and told his cousin about his class, classmates and what they learned. Johnny listened to his cousin enthusiastically describe his school day, now all he had to do was solve his problem working shifts.

Johnny was sitting in the station's kitchen talking to C-shift's paramedic, Dwyer, when Captain Stanley entered. "Hi Cap."

"John…welcome back pal. How did things go?" Cap was pleased to see his paramedic back at work.

"It went well. I was just explaining to Dwyer that I can't imagine living alone now that I have Wayna living with me. Wait til you meet my cousin Cap. I'm going to bring him in next shift to meet everyone. Ted's going to pick him up and take him overnight."

"That's all very well but what if Ted gets held over with overtime and we get called out on a run?" Roy asked from the doorway. He didn't think shuffling Wayna around was good for the boy.

"Dwyer's going to hang around and watch him till Ted picks him up."

"Catch you later Johnny. Bye Roy." Dwyer made a quick exit sensing the tension between the paramedics.

"Who's going to look after your cousin tonight?" Roy asked as he poured himself a coffee.

"Craig is. Why? You offering?" Johnny asked light heartedly.

Roy held up his hands. "No way. Joanne has enough to do without looking after another kid." Johnny turned around and picked up the paper. He didn't like the way his partner referred to his cousin as 'another kid' so he decided to stop talking. Cap watched the exchange with concern.

"Do you think it's good for the kid to be shuffled around amongst firemen, while you work?"

"He's not being shuffled around…and 'the kid' has a name Roy…Wayna. He's being looked after by our friends….both mine and Wayna's friends. It's only temporary anyway…I'm going to work something out more permanent." Johnny went back to reading the paper. If Roy had thought about it, he would have realised then, that a permanent solution might have meant that Johnny would be leaving the station.

A semi-permanent solution came up when Craig broke his arm and four fingers. He moved into Johnny's house, just like Kurt and Bob had done when they had broken bones on the job. Between all the single paramedics no one was left to fend for themselves when injured. Craig being at Johnny's house meant Wayna was never at home alone.

Craig's injury bought Johnny some time to work out a more permanent solution. They settled into a routine. Johnny would drop Wayna to 'Before School Care' on the way to the station and Ted would pick him up after school and take him home. He quite often stayed for supper after helping Craig prepare it. Kurt or Bob would drive Craig to any appointments that fell on Johnny's shift. They had all been doing this for the past year; Wayna was included in the arrangement easily. To the outsider it may have seemed complicated but to the group of friends it was just brothers looking out for each other.

"How's Brice?" Roy entered the kitchen and sat down next to his partner.

"He's good…Gets the cast off tomorrow."

"What will you do then?" Roy asked with concern.

"Kurt is going to look after Wayna for the next couple of shifts." Roy just nodded.

"I was wondering if you could help me and Joanne out this weekend."

"In what way Roy?"

"Chris was supposed to be spending the night at his friend's house but his friend has the chicken pox. Joanne and I were going to spend the weekend in San Diego. We have it all booked."

"Chris can stay at my place. He's only a couple of years older than Wayna. It would be good for them to get to know each other."

"Thanks partner. I knew I could count on you. I'm just going to call Joanne and let her know." Roy got up to make the call.

"Roy just one thing, Wayna has drum practise on Saturday. Chris should bring his glove and ball. We can play catch while we're waiting. It's too far to drive back and forwards so I just wait for him."

"Chris doesn't play baseball anymore."

"What about basketball? There's a park across the road."

"He doesn't like basketball that much…can't you miss drum practise this week? It's only one week." Roy didn't think it would matter if Wayna missed one practise.

"That would be a no. Took a lot of searching to find this teacher and I'm not about to cancel on him or Wayna. If you want me to take Chris this weekend either he brings a book, homework or a basketball." Johnny looked at Roy and waited for an answer.

"Homework is a good idea. His teacher mentioned he needed to apply himself more so she's given him extra homework." Johnny nodded.

Roy left to call Joanne.

"I don't know why he didn't just get one of his army buddies he's always talking about to look after Chris." Chet said as he stirred the stew on the stove.

"That's because he's going to San Diego with his army buddies and their wives."

"Oh." Chet continued to stir in silence. The truth of it all was that Roy inferred it was a weekend away for him and Joanne, when in fact it was just one of the many get together with his army friends, something that could be organised anytime.

Johnny knew Roy had forgotten about telling him that he and Joanne were going away again with his friends, but he didn't mind. He had wanted Chris to meet Wayna and hoped they could become good friends.


	6. Chapter 6

"So what are you going to do?" Dixie sat at her desk listening to Johnny. He was telling her how his cousin was doing a special item at his school assembly that afternoon. He had only found out about it yesterday.

"I'm going of course….Dix you should have seen him practising last night. He's really was incredible." Dixie smiled, her instincts had been spot on; having Wayna live with him was a good thing.

"Who's covering for you?"

"Ted….it will only be for a couple of hours." Johnny leaned over the counter and sighed. "I just can't say no to him Dix…..He looks at me with those big brown eyes and my heart just…just…"

"Melts." Dixie said perceptively. Johnny didn't realise he did the same thing to her and most of the female gender.

"Yes." Johnny shook his head. "You know, he has Kurt and Craig wrapped around his little finger. We are all doomed."

"That's not so bad Johnny, it will do all you single guys good. Get you ready for fatherhood." Dixie pointed out.

"Fatherhood. What's this about fatherhood?" Roy asked as he grabbed a cup of coffee. He had only heard the last part of the conversation.

"Johnny was telling me about his cousin, the special item he's doing at the school assembly today. Wish I could get time off to go." Dixie frowned and tried to think of a solution.

"Dix you don't want to go to that. They're pretty amateurish and besides sitting on those hard plastic seats, siblings running around crying and screaming, it's no fun."

"It's Wayna's first time, doing a special performance at his new school….I want to be there for him." Dixie was shocked to hear Roy criticize the school assembly.

"I'm telling you now; the novelty will wear off quickly. I know Johnny's all enthusiastic about everything to do with his cousin, but like most things he gets obsessed with, he'll lose interest. He'll get sick of all the running around and getting paramedics to cover his shifts. It all becomes too much. What happens when a pretty face wants to go out? Wayna will get pushed aside like most of your crazy projects." Dixie looked at Johnny. She could see he was ticked off.

"You know Roy, just because you've been a father longer doesn't make you an expert on me and how I'll bring up Wayna. We're not talking about an idea or an innate object; we're talking about my only flesh and blood."

"Here we go. The Indian thing…." Roy rolled his eyes. "You're not his father, you're his guardian. There's a difference. Commitment for one thing…it wears off pretty quickly. Parents stay committed." Johnny and Dixie both frowned.

"Dix I'll see you later. I need to get back. If you want me to pick you up, give me a call. I'll be leaving at 1. You should be back by 3." Johnny picked up their supplies and left.

Roy shook his head. "It really is no big deal Dix. Joanne doesn't even go to these things."

"Well Roy, I guess we view things differently. It's a big deal to both Johnny and Wayna and I for one would not miss it for the world."

"It's your time Dix."

"Exactly." Dixie straightened up the charts on her desk and left the senior paramedic standing alone.

"Give him a big cheer for me." Ted slapped Johnny on the back as he got into his truck.

"I will and thank you Ted. I know it was short notice."

"No need to thank me. I still owe you plenty for all the times you covered for me while Mary was getting treatment."

"I'll see you later Ted." Johnny pulled out of the station. He was picking up Dixie on the way.

They arrived in plenty of time. Like any proud parent, Johnny had brought his camera. Wayna was introduced as the school's newest addition. He sat in the middle of the stage and started drumming. He played beautifully. For a lot of the students and adults, it was the first time they had heard a drum played this way. Wayna received a loud applause. All his friends wanted to have a go at playing the drum.

"You've got a special little boy there." Dixie told Johnny as they watched him show his friends what to do one by one.

"Yeah I do don't I? His mom and grandfather would be so proud of him." Johnny blinked away the moisture. "I have to be there for him Dix. I don't care what Roy says. Everything is important and I want to make sure Wayna knows that."

Dixie put her hand on the paramedic's shoulder. "He knows Johnny. I see it in his eyes, the way he looks up to you. Don't listen to Roy. It's different for him. He has Joanne so he doesn't feel so compelled to be at everything his kids are involved with."

"Are you a policeman?" One of the boys had noticed Johnny's uniform.

"No, I'm a Fireman/Paramedic. My names Johnny, Wayna's cousin."

"I'm Danny. Wayna didn't tell me you were a fireman. That's so cool."

Johnny smiled and ruffled Danny's hair. He looked over at his cousin and saw that he had finished showing his friends how to play the drum.

"You want me to take that with me?" Wayna looked up at his cousin, eyes shining.

"Do you think momma heard me?"

"I'm certain. Knowing your mom she would have been dancing to the beat."

"She used to dance and sing when I practised."

Johnny knelt down and spoke to his cousin at eye level. "Her spirit still does. You have to believe that Wayna." The boy through his arms around his cousins neck and hugged him.

"Thank you for coming…you too Miss McCall. Did you like it?"

"You were wonderful." Johnny packed up the drum and waved goodbye to his cousin as he and his friends went back to class. Dixie considered her friend. "It's a great feeling, unconditional love."

"Yes Dix it is. I haven't felt it in a long time, not since my Aunt died. I had forgotten how it felt."

"That's what families give you." The two friends drove back to their jobs feeling enriched for having been there for Wayna.

"Hi Chris….This is my cousin Wayna." Johnny nudged his cousin forward.

"Hello Chris." Wayna held out his hand. Chris shook it. "Hello Mr DeSoto."

"Hi Wayna. Nice place Johnny. I know you told me you were thinking of buying a house but I didn't realise you went ahead and bought it. The mortgage must be big."

"This is way better than the apartment." Chris looked around.

"Lot more room Chris." Johnny chose to ignore Roy's comment.

"We better get going. See ya Chris. Be good." Roy waved goodbye to his son, eager to get on his way.

Johnny smiled at the boy. "You've grown since the last time I saw you. You'll probably be as tall as your dad one day."

"I hope so. How come you don't come round anymore?" Johnny thought, the innocence of a child. He chose his words carefully.

"Your dad's pretty busy these days and so am I. When I bought this house, it needed a lot of fixing up. I was busy working on the house and your dad was busy with his army friends." Johnny figured that was close enough to the truth. "And now I have my own family to take care of so I'm even busier. Isn't that right champ?" Johnny ruffled Wayna's hair. The young boy looked up at his cousin and giggled.

"Would you like to meet the other member of our family?" Wayna asked Chris as they entered the house. Wayna led Chris through the house out onto the deck. "Feather!"

The terrier came running up the stairs obediently to his master. He jumped into Wayna's waiting arms. Chris offered the back of his hand to the dog before patting him. "He's cute. We have a dog….but he's real old."

"Here, throw the ball. He'll chase it." Wayna handed the ball to Chris who immediately threw it. Feather had been watching the ball closely and as soon as it left Chris's hand he was off. He jumped out of Wayna's arms and ran after the ball.

"He's fast. Can he do tricks?"

"He can summersault but only if he wants to. Johnny said dogs are our friends and we should treat them with respect. They weren't put on this earth to do tricks."

"That sounds like Uncle Johnny." Chris rolled his eyes, a trait he picked up from his dad.

"Why do you call him Uncle? Are you related?"

"No…We've just always called him that." Chris shrugged his shoulders. He threw the ball up in the air. Feather jumped and summersaulted. "That was so cool."

Wayna laughed. The boys played in the backyard while Johnny cleaned up and did some laundry. He brought some lemonade and cookies out to the deck for a morning snack. The boys washed their hands inside and sat down with Johnny. He held up what looked like a brown sausage. "This is Feather's. Here you go one each."

"Feather did a summersault for Chris."

"Cool. He looks pretty tired. You wore him out." Johnny patted the quiet dog.

"He should sleep while I'm at drum practise." Wayna fed his sausage to Feather.

"I thought we might go to the park that's on the way, for lunch." Johnny sipped his drink and watched Feather beg for some of Wayna's cookie. His cousin looked at him. He shook his head. "They're not good for him. The sausages were enough." Wayna put the rest of his cookie in his mouth and let Feather lick his fingers. Johnny just shook his head.

"I wish we had a dog like Feather." Chris patted the dog's head.

"Buster would be a fair age now." Johnny tried to recollect the DeSoto dog.

"Yeah he's nearly blind and he just sleeps all day. He's no fun."

"Maybe if you ask your dad."

"I have. He says we have enough animals. We have two cats and a gold fish. The cats get annoyed when you try to play with them. They scratch you and take off….My friend Justin, he has a rabbit." Johnny looked at his watch. He wasn't going to make any suggestions and have Roy get annoyed with him for putting ideas in his son's head. He let Wayna carry on the conversation with Chris.

"Let's get our lunch together, and then we can go to the park." Wayna grabbed the empty glasses and plate that the cookies had been on. Johnny took the jug and put it in the fridge. He grabbed the kitchen towel and threw it to Chris. "There you go Chris. You can dry the dishes."

"Everybody helps out." Wayna quoted his cousin as he filled the sink to wash up.

"Leave the water in Wayna. I'll have some knives to wash." Sandwiches were quickly made. Johnny packed an ice chest with the sandwiches, drinks and fruit. Soon they were on their way.

The boys sat in the front seat together. Wayna showed Chris his drum. "I've never seen a drum like this before."

"It makes a really good sound and you can change the sounds by hitting it different ways. That's what Wayna's learning. These drums are used to tell stories." Chris liked it when his Uncle told him about Indian stuff. "Did you bring your homework Chris?"

"Yeah…I hate homework." Chris whined. Johnny smiled remembering how much he hated doing homework.

"I love it. You learn about things in other countries and science. That's my favourite subject. We use microscopes at school. Do you use them at your school?"

"No we don't…not til next year. I like history." They stopped at the park and ate lunch. Johnny threw a Frisbee around with the boys.

It wasn't long before they were on their way to Wayna's practise. Johnny helped Chris with his homework. Watching Chris struggle with his maths Johnny realised how smart his cousin was. His maths homework was much harder and he did it without too much help. Once he was shown how to do a particular problem, he didn't need to be shown again.

Chris responded to his Uncle's help and found some of his homework easier once he was shown how to do it. He was glad when they had finished. They were sitting quietly in the truck. Johnny was reading a book and Chris was reading his favourite comic. "Do you ever go hunting Uncle Johnny?"

Johnny was surprised by Chris's question. "I did when I lived on the reservation but not here in LA. Why?"

"Some of my new friends…their dads were in the army with my dad….they go hunting."

"That's not my thing Chris. On the reservation we hunted for food, which was different. I never liked guns or the sound they make."

"Oh I was hoping you had a hunting rifle seeing you lived so close to the mountains."

"No, I wouldn't want a gun in the house. I don't think your dad is into hunting either. He sees what damage guns do to the human body."

"Yeah that's what he said. He won't let me go hunting with the other dads."

"It wouldn't be safe Chris. You don't know the first thing about guns. That's why your dad won't let you go. It's very easy to have accidents around guns. They fall over and go off. You can get shot accidently by being in the line of fire unknowingly. Listen to your dad. He's right." Johnny was concerned with Chris's line of questioning.

"Does Wayna know how to hunt?"

"I don't think so Chris." The conversation was cut short as Wayna exited the hall and stood on the steps waiting for his cousin. Johnny got out of the truck and walked over to his cousin. "How was it?"

"Great. I learnt a new sound." Johnny put his hand behind his cousin's back and walked him back to the truck. Both boys fell asleep on the way home. Johnny ran the conversation with Chris over in his head. It worried him that Chris was developing an interest in guns. He would talk to Roy about it.


	7. Chapter 7

Roy was due to pick up Chris late in the afternoon. The boys spent the morning helping Johnny cut the lawns. They were supposed to be raking up the grass but spent most of the time chasing Feather around the yard, keeping him away from the grass cutter.

When the paramedic was hosing down his tools, Feather decided he needed to cool off. He jumped through the spray of the water, from the hose. The boys joined in, all three ended up soaked. Johnny figured since they were wet they might as well help him with washing the truck. All four were wet by the end. They lined up for showers, dressed in dry clothes and had a late lunch out on the deck.

Roy walked around the side of the house. He had knocked several times and not received an answer. "Ah this is the life, sitting around doing nothing."

"Dad!" Chris jumped up and hurried down the stairs and hugged his father. Roy smiled, it was good to get away but he had missed his kids. "Come and meet Feather."

Chris dragged his father up onto the deck to show him Feather. Roy patted the dog. "Hello Mr DeSoto."

"Hi Wayna, is he your dog?"

"Yes. We brought him with us to my new home." Johnny regarded his cousin. It was the first time he had heard him refer to here as home, instead of back on the reservation. He felt his heart fill with happiness. Wayna was starting to feel like he belonged.

"You ok Johnny?" Roy looked on at his partner with concern. "Having two boys under foot too much for you?"

"No it wasn't that." Johnny knitted his eyebrows together.

Chris started pulling at his father's arm. "We better go dad." He didn't want his Uncle to mention anything about their conversation on hunting. He knew his father would get angry with him for asking his Uncle about it.

"Ok Chris." Roy shook his head. "See you Johnny…Wayna."

"His stuff is just in the doorway." Johnny pointed to the sliding doors but was still thinking about what Wayna had just said.

Roy grabbed his son's backpack. "You sure you're ok?"

"Come on dad." Chris pulled his father's arm. Roy chuckled, and thought that Chris was so bored that he couldn't wait to get home.

"Bye." Roy and Chris left via the side gate.

Johnny watched his cousin pat Feather. His young cousin looked up, sensing Johnny watching him. Their eyes met. They held each other's gaze.

Johnny looked deep into Wayna's eyes and realised that there was no longer that deep sadness that was present when he first picked him up. It had been replaced with serenity and joy. Simply put, his cousin was happy. Wayna broke the spell by speaking.

"I'm glad you came for me. I love you Johnny."

"Oh Wayna." Johnny embraced his cousin. "I love you too Wayna. I'm so relieved, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy but this is so much more." The two cousins stood on the deck hugging each other. Not to be left out; Feather stood on his hind legs and put a front leg on each of the cousin's legs. It was a moment the paramedic would never forget.

The next day Johnny had decided to talk to Roy about Chris on their way back from their first run. They would have the privacy that was needed.

"Hi Johnny. How were your days off?" Dixie asked as she put away charts.

"They were….enlightening….Dix." Johnny smiled crookedly at Dixie.

"Alright…I'll bite….out with it."

"Dix, Wayna for the first time called my place home and that's not all. He said he was glad I came for him and that he loves me." Johnny's eyes started to burn. He blinked rapidly trying to hold back the tears. He could see that Dixie was having the same problem. They weren't sad tears but tears of joy.

"I'm so happy for you both." She placed her hand on Johnny's. "It was meant to be, the both of you, together."

"You think so Dix?"

"Yes." She patted his hand. Dr Brackett walked up and saw the exchange between the two friends.

"Johnny….How are things?" Dr Brackett eyed both the paramedic and the nurse.

"At home, couldn't be better Doc. At work, I still have a problem to solve."

"Oh, what's that?" Dr Brackett frowned in concern.

"I can't keep working shifts. I can't keep expecting my friends to look after Wayna while I'm on shift." Johnny shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"So you need a day job?" Dr Brackett smiled at his humour but in all seriousness was right.

"Yes that's about the gist of it, but unfortunately the only paramedic's jobs available, that don't work 24 hour shifts, are at station 86 and those paramedics are not intending to leave anytime soon."

"I see. That is a problem. I may have a solution." Dr Brackett looked around. "Why don't we take this to my office and I'll fill you in." Johnny smiled at Dixie and followed the doctor down the hall to his office.

"Before we start, I got Wayna's medical file yesterday. His mother made sure he was properly immunised. He's had a few chest infections; hopefully the Californian sun will fix that. What I would like to do is run the same check-ups on your cousin that I run on you every six months."

"Ok. My next check-up is in two months. Should we wait til then and do it together?"

"That should be fine. Now…your work problem. This is all confidential what I'm about to tell you, so, I would rather you not tell anyone including Roy."

"Sure Doc, whatever you want." Johnny sat in anticipation. He hoped that Dr Brackett was going to come up with a solution to his problem.

"The hospital is going to undergo some changes. Firstly, they are going to build a Children's Hospital next door on the land recently purchased. In that hospital will be an emergency department for children. When we had that little boy die on us after sitting in the waiting area for over an hour….."

"You mean the boy who got hit with the baseball?" Johnny remembered that day. It had brought a lot of bad publicity for the hospital.

"Yes. The hospital realised they needed a more specialised area for children. The board got funding for a children's hospital with a whole range of specialists to go with it. Mike is going to head the Emergency Department of the Children's Hospital. He's always had an interest in paediatrics so he was the best choice. That created a new problem. He currently takes a lot of the pressure off me, by handling a lot of the day to day paramedic responsibilities. I'm in the process of looking for a co-ordinator to look after the Paramedic Program. This will include the college graduates as well as the fire department trainees. It will be a big job…because….there has been some proposed changes. They'll need someone who's had a lot of experience and…to be quite honest no-one apart from you and Roy has that experience. It will virtually be a 9 to 5 job." Dr Brackett waited for Johnny to absorb everything. "With your current circumstances in mind…and…selfishly, I don't want to lose one of the best paramedics to come out of the program. I'd like to offer you the job."

"Wow….What about Roy? Wouldn't he be more suitable for the job?"

"No more than you…I know that he has his army medical experience but apart from that you are both equally qualified. I was going to offer the job to both of you but since you have a need for a 9 to 5 job, I'm offering it to you."

"To be honest Doc I wouldn't feel right if you didn't offer it to Roy as well." Johnny remembered back to when he signed up to train to be a paramedic. Roy put a lot of time and effort into getting the program up and running. It wouldn't be right to just take the job and not give Roy the option of going for the job.

"Alright, I'll make the same proposal to Roy and if he wants to be considered then you'll both be interviewed by the board. If he declines, then the job's yours."

"Thanks Doc. We could really make a real difference out there with more paramedics. Having two emergency departments…that's making a change for the better. Having children specialists….this is really big!" Dr Brackett could almost see the ideas turning over in his paramedic's mind. The doctor had honestly thought that despite Roy's experience that Johnny would be the best choice for the job. He was more adaptable to changes and wanting to improve the program. He was the type of person who would make the ideas the Doc had in mind work.

"I'll see Roy and talk to him about it tomorrow after shift." The two of them left his office. Roy was waiting for his partner at the nurse's desk.

"Ready to go Johnny?"

"Yeah Roy. See you Dix…Doc…and thanks." Johnny shook Dr Brackett's hand.

"Roy, I need to talk to you about something to do with the paramedic program. Could you call in on your way home tomorrow?"

"Sure Doc. Bye."

The two paramedics walked through the ER doors. "Did Johnny turn it down?"

"No. He insisted I offer it to Roy also. To be honest Dix, I always intended to offer it to the both of them but I always thought that Johnny would be the best person for the job." Dixie smiled.

"Roy did put a lot of effort into getting the program up and running…but I think Johnny is more suited to this job….he'll bring to it…." Dixie searched her mind for the right word.

"Ingenuity….Johnny doesn't sit back and let things take care of themselves. He jumps in and uses his knowledge and skills to solve problems and make things work. I'm not saying Roy doesn't but Johnny seems to push harder for change."

"I think Roy will stay in the Fire Department. I honestly don't think he would want to leave. Johnny has different priorities now. This job is perfect for him." Dixie thought about what Johnny had told her that morning. A small boy had stolen the paramedic's heart and he would move heaven and earth for his cousin's welfare.


	8. Chapter 8

"Roy….Can I talk to you about something?" Johnny didn't want to just blurt out his concerns about Chris to his partner. Conversations over the past year had not gone well between them, so he decided to approach the subject cautiously.

Roy groaned. "Johnny….I'm sorry, but if it's about your cousin….I'm afraid I'm all Wayna'd out. Can we talk about something else?"

Johnny frowned at Roy's comment; his partner could be really insensitive sometimes. It didn't matter that Roy had talked non- stop about his army buddies for the past year. He almost changed his mind, but this was too important so he pushed on. They had been friends for too long for him not to warn Roy. "It's actually about Chris."

"Chris?" Roy glanced at his partner. "Did something happen over the weekend?"

"As a matter of fact…yes." Johnny half turned so that he was facing his partner.

"What did you do to him by the way?" Roy interrupted Johnny and was already acting defensive. "He fell asleep before finishing his supper last night." Roy scowled at his partner.

"Do to him….I didn't do anything to him….I admit Wayna was pretty tired. The boys did a lot of running around on Sunday….chasing Feather and keeping him away from the grass cutter. They were supposed to be raking up the grass…" Johnny shook his head and laughed as the memories of the two boys came to mind.

"So that's it. Chris didn't pull his weight. You know I don't send my kid over to stay with you to have him worked to death."

Johnny shook his head. He sighed and pushed away the anger that was building. "I didn't work him to death….like I said they were chasing the dog around the yard and then they helped wash my truck but ended up chasing each other around. They were just being boys and having fun." Johnny adjusted the way he was sitting. "What I wanted to talk to you about….was something Chris asked me while we were waiting for Wayna to finish drum practise." He remembered what Kurt had said to him on the phone; to make sure that Roy fully understood that Chris asked out of the blue and that he was obviously thinking a lot about the subject.

"Well say it…I can't think of anything Chris would ask you, certainly nothing that would cause you concern." Johnny frowned; he could feel a headache beginning. He was getting tired of the constant barbs from his friend. He chose to ignore the comment and tried to remain calm.

"We were sitting in the truck. We were both reading and Chris just out of nowhere asked me…..do you ever go hunting Uncle Johnny?"

"What did you say?" Roy glanced at his partner. He was finding it hard to concentrate on driving. The subject had been bothering him since Chris asked to go on a hunting trip with some of his army friends.

"Well…" Johnny shrugged; he got a little tongue tied, which was nothing unusual when he was nervous. "I…I told him the truth….that I used to go hunting when I lived on the reservation but not since I moved to LA." Roy was shaking his head. Johnny wanted to clarify what he said before Roy interrupted again. "Just listen Roy. I told him the reason why I went hunting….that we hunted for food…and I also told him that I didn't like guns. He then said, oh I thought you might have a hunting rifle seeing as you live near the mountains."

Roy sighed. "Some of my friends go hunting. Felix is around Chris's age and he asked Chris along on one of their trips. I said no but he's been pestering me about it."

"He told me you didn't like the idea and I said you were right, that he should listen to you. I also told him that because he has never been around guns that it was even more dangerous for him to be on one of those trips. I don't think I convinced him."

"Well of course not. You told him that you had been on hunting trips….to him that would be super cool. I suppose you told him Wayna had been on hunting trips too. Just great, as if I don't have enough to worry about." Roy backed the squad into the station while he was ranting. Before Johnny could tell him that Wayna had not been on hunting trips Roy got out of the squad. Johnny sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. He needed aspirin; the headache was really making itself known.

Johnny never brought up the subject again. He knew if he mentioned it to Roy, his partner would just get angry and he would end up being accused of interfering, which was what he was trying to avoid. He just wanted Roy to know what Chris had been thinking because they both knew guns were dangerous.

While everyone in the station was doing their own thing, Johnny used the time to think about the job offer. It would be exciting to be in on the ground floor of all the changes. Leaving the fire department would be sad but with Wayna now depending on him the dangers of the job could not be taken lightly. He remembered back when his friend Drew died. It had been very hard on his wife Pam. So many things had been left unfinished. Johnny had tried to help her, but some of the things, only Drew knew what was needed to be done.

If something did happen to him, Wayna would be taken care of by his friends but it wouldn't be the same. When he signed those papers and took custody of his cousin, he also accepted the responsibility for looking after him, just as his Aunt did for him. He could accept leaving the field because from now on his cousin came first. He was Wayna's only family so he needed to ensure he was there to take care of him.

"From the look on your face I take it that it didn't go so well with Roy." Johnny had just arrived home. Kurt was waiting for him on the front porch.

"Kurt that is an understatement. Man….after accusing me of working his son to death because he was tired Sunday night….he bites my head off for being honest with Chris about hunting on the reservation." Kurt let his friend air his frustration about his partner. "Oh and get this because I was honest….if Chris was to pick up a gun today, it would be because I made it sound cool. He didn't even let me fully explain." Johnny brushed his hand through his hair. "It was incredible….so I just dropped it. Roy can sort it out with Chris. I did my bit and let him know."

"There really isn't much more you can do. As you said you've let him know Chris is thinking about it….It's up to Roy to act on it."

"You know I wouldn't be surprised if he let Chris go hunting. That's how mad he was." Kurt shook his head.

"No way Johnny. We've seen what guns can do. No way he'd put Chris in that sort of danger."

"Yeah you're probably right. I just don't understand Roy sometimes. It's like he…he can't stand talking to me. We work fine together but other than that he just ignores me. We were so tight…not just Roy and me….all of us….but now."

"It happens Johnny. Everyone's priorities change. Cap is studying to become a chief, Mike a captain and Roy and Chet an engineer. You're lucky you've been together this long. My shift has changed three times since I transferred there four years ago….and station 110….Tom's not even there anymore. He's moved on to public relations or something."

Johnny nodded in agreement and then waved his hand. "I've got to tell you something." Johnny put his hand over his mouth.

"What?" Kurt didn't understand why his friend stopped talking.

"I can't tell you. Brackett said not to say anything."

"Is it about the changes to the hospital? The new children's hospital with its own emergency department and Morton being in charge of it?" Kurt watched his friend's mouth slowly get wider. "It's all over the hospital."

"Really?...I guess it doesn't matter then. Doc offered me a job, Paramedic Co-ordinator. The job will take over what Morton does and much more. I said I didn't think it was right if he didn't offer it to Roy also but I don't think Roy would want it. He told me once that he could never leave the field for an office job."

"And you could?" Kurt was amazed that Johnny was even considering it.

"Yes. Something like this….I'd be part of a new era from the ground up and….it would also mean I'd be home at night for Wayna."

"We don't mind looking after Wayna….I'd kind of miss it…..But this…being part of something from the beginning…like when the paramedic program started…It would be pretty exciting. You sure you wouldn't miss the field?" Kurt looked sceptically at his friend.

"I probably would at first, especially listening to you guys talk about rescues….but….when one of you come in with a broken arm or leg or a concussion I'd get over it."

"Who me?" Kurt shook his head.

"Yes you." Johnny pointed to his friend.

"This comes from someone who's broken his leg….three times." Kurt held up three fingers.

"Yeah well, none of those times were my fault…..and that's more reason to get out of the field. I have to look after myself for Wayna's sake. He only has me. I know you guys would take care of him but I'm all the family he has and he's lost too much for a boy of so few years. I want to stick around for him." Kurt understood what Johnny was trying to say.

He shook his head and teased his friend, lightening the mood. "I don't know Johnny….no more climbing into wrecks, scaling down cliffs or sides of buildings….You sure you won't miss that?"

"I'll miss it. I like the rescue side of things but I can get all my climbing out of my system by having the time to join you guys. I won't have to check shifts when all of you go on those rock climbing trips. We could take Wayna along and teach him." The new job became even more attractive.

"Come on…I'll make us some coffee and you can tell me all about the job." Kurt knew that Johnny was underplaying just how much he would miss being a fire-fighter/paramedic but he also knew that his friend had been doing the job for so long that he could leave without regrets. He'd pretty much done it all which is why Dr Brackett had offered him the job.

Just after lunch Johnny's phone rang. "Hello"

"Mr Gage…Wayna's guardian?"

"Yes."

"This is Wayna's school. I'm afraid Wayna is sick. He vomited after lunch."

"I'll be right there."

"Just come to the office and they'll direct you to the sick bay."

"Thank you."

Johnny locked the back door, grabbed his keys and wallet and left. He drove to the school gripping the steering wheel tightly. He thought every slow driver was on the road today. He parked out front and ran into the school.

"Mr Gage. I'm the nurse…I think he just has what's going around…a tummy bug. There are quite a few children away with it."

She led him into the sick bay. Wayna was lying on a stretcher with a container next to him. He was pale and miserable. As soon as the boy saw his cousin he started to cry. "My stomach hurts."

Johnny knelt down. "Let me feel." Johnny pressed down on his right side.

"Oowwe….that really hurts." Johnny felt around the abdomen and found that he only hurt on the right side.

"I think it's your appendix champ. I'll take you to Rampart. Dr Brackett will fix you up."

"I think you'll find it's just the stomach bug going around but it's best to be sure."

"There's swelling in the appendix region."

"Oh, are you a doctor?"

"No, I'm a paramedic." The nurse smiled.

"Alright then. I'll leave you in your cousin's capable hands." She patted the boy on the head. Johnny picked up his cousin and carried him out to the truck. He drove to Rampart and parked in the emergency parking area.

"Come on…let's get you inside."

"I don't feel so good…my side really hurts." Johnny ran into the emergency area carrying his cousin. He spotted Dixie.

"I think it's his appendix." Dixie led him to treatment two.

"Michelle page Dr Brackett, urgent." She called over her shoulder to one of her nurses.

"Yes Miss McCall."

Johnny laid his cousin down and swept his hair off his forehead. "Dix he has a temperature."

"Ok Johnny calm down." Dr Brackett hurried into the room.

"What have we….Wayna!…Johnny!…" He looked between the cousins.

"I think it's his appendix Doc." Dr Brackett immediately started feeling around the boy's stomach. He flinched when the doctor touched his right side.

"I think you're right Johnny. Dix contact OR and get Dr Benson. Start an IV normal saline and add 5mg of diazepam."

"Doc's going to fix you up. You'll feel a little prick." Johnny rubbed his cousin's shoulder and kept talking to him keeping him calm, whilst trying to stay calm himself. "You're braver than me. I always give Dix a hard time when she does that to me."

"You'll start to feel sleepy." Dixie pushed a stray hair off the young boy's face. Wayna's eyes got heavy. Soon he was asleep.

Dr Brackett came back into the room. "Let's go." Wayna was transferred and wheeled out of the room. A very worried Johnny followed. "I'll let you know as soon as we're finished Johnny." Dr Brackett followed the gurney into the elevator.

"Oh God." Dixie took hold of his arm and led the distraught man into the doctor's lounge. Craig was sitting waiting for his partner.

"Johnny!" Johnny looked over at his friend. Craig immediately grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee. "Here drink this." He waited for Johnny to take a few sips. He could see that his friend was shaken up over something.

"It's Wayna Craig. It's his appendix." Johnny blurted out.

"Who's operating?" Craig understood why Johnny was so anxious.

"Dr Brackett. He just took him up." Craig made his friend sit down. Dixie came back into the room.

"They took him straight into the OR. Who's off today?" She directed her question to Craig.

"Kurt and Ted."

"I'll call them. Can you stay here for a little while?"

"Yeah, we'll stay available from here." Craig sat down next to his friend and put his hand on Johnny's shoulder. "He'll be fine Johnny. Dr Brackett will look after him."

"He looked so small on that gurney. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him."

"Survival rate of appendix…"

"Craig! No stats…."

"Sorry Johnny….I forget sometimes." Craig smiled apologetically to his friend.

"It's ok Craig. You're here and that's what counts."

They sat in silence and waited. Soon they were joined by several off duty fire-fighters and paramedics. Many of them had helped prepare Johnny's home for the arrival of his cousin. Surrounded by friends, Johnny waited anxiously for news from Dr Brackett.


	9. Chapter 9

Roy watched his son walk up the driveway to the front door. He opened the door as he reached the front steps. "Hi dad."

"Hi yourself….how was school?" His son walked into the house dropping his bag on the floor next to the door.

"It was ok. I got all my homework right." He smiled proudly.

Roy patted his son on the back. "Good work."

"Where's mom?"

"She's out with your sister. Come and sit down. I want to have a little talk." Chris walked over to the couch and went to switch on the TV. "Leave the TV off Chris." Roy sat down next to his son. "Uncle Johnny told me you asked him about hunting." Chris sighed loudly.

"I just wanted to find out if he had been on hunting trips…but he said he hadn't since he's lived in LA." Chris slouched, brooding.

"Sit up Chris…this is serious. I told you….Uncle Johnny told you….guns are dangerous so this is important."

"But Felix goes hunting with his father all the time and nothing happens to them." Chris pouted and slouched back against the couch. Roy rubbed his hand over his face. The conversation he had with Johnny in the squad had worried him more than he let on. He knew that some of his friend's activities, such as hunting, were against his and Joanne's principles. Chris had to understand that just because they are your friends that you don't have to agree with everything they do.

"What have I taught you about animals that live in the wild?" Chris was about to answer but Roy stopped him. "Better yet what has Uncle Johnny taught you about animals who live in the wild?" Chris rolled his eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me young man….and sit up straight." Roy waited for his son to sit up. "Guns kill those animals. Don't you care about that? Guns also kill people."

"I know…. You've killed people. I heard you talking with Felix's dad about the war."

"That was different Chris. We were defending ourselves and the people of the country we were protecting. We didn't want to kill but the war forced us to. I've seen the damage guns can do…It's not pretty…Both your mother and I don't want you having anything to do with guns."

Chris slouched and sighed in defeat, and then he thought of one last point. "Uncle Johnny said when he hunted on the reservation that they hunted for food. Isn't that what Felix and his dad are doing?"

Roy thought, _'Thanks Johnny.' _"No, they kill for pleasure. When Uncle Johnny hunted…they needed that food. Felix and his dad don't. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Can I go now?" Chris started to whine.

"Alright, no more questions on hunting? And no more going behind my back and asking Uncle Johnny, because he agrees with me."

"Yes dad. Not as if I'll see Uncle Johnny anytime soon." Chris grabbed his bag and went to his room. He was annoyed that his Uncle had told on him. He stood in front of the mirror pretending to shoot. He then practised his karate kicks that Felix had shown him.

Dr Brackett entered the doctor's lounge. He held up his hands. "He's fine. We got them out just in time. They burst in the tray." He looked at Johnny. "He's in recovery. They'll be taking him up to his room shortly. Why don't you go with Dix?"

Johnny shook Dr Brackett's hand. "Thanks Doc."

When Johnny left the lounge Ted spoke up. "How long will he be in hospital Doc?"

"A week….Maybe less seeing he has a paramedic at his disposal." Dr Brackett chuckled.

"More like five at his disposal." Kurt injected. Everyone sighed with relief. A few left the hospital asking Kurt to pass on their best wishes to Johnny.

Craig, Kurt, Ted and Bob bought Wayna a stuffed bear and some books. They waited for Johnny to come out of the room.

"Ah guys….this is great." He inspected the bear. "He's pretty sleepy. They just gave him something for the pain. Come on in." Johnny led them into the room. There were two other beds in the room. A boy with his leg in traction was in one of the beds. The other was vacant.

Wayna opened his eyes when he heard the footsteps. His cousin was smiling down at him. "You have visitors." He stepped aside and let his friends in close to the bed.

"Hey Wayna. You look pretty tired. We won't stay long. We got you this." Ted gave the boy the stuffed bear. His smile made their hearts melt.

"Thank you." He hugged the bear and put it under his arm, holding it tightly.

"And these are for later when you're more awake." Craig showed him the books and put them on the set of drawers next to his bed.

They each said their goodbyes. Johnny straightened up the bed and watched his cousin close his eyes and fall asleep. He called his name softly a couple of times and when he didn't get an answer, he left the room.

Dixie was talking to the paramedics outside the ward. "Is he asleep?"

Johnny nodded. "I called his name a couple of times but he didn't stir."

"He'll be fine Johnny. I'm working til ten so I'll check up on him throughout the evening."

"Thanks Dix." The paramedics led their friend down the hall to the elevator.

"I'll drive you home. Ted will follow me." Kurt told his friend.

"Bob and I will come up and check on him in between runs." Craig slapped Johnny on the back. His HT came to life sending them on a run.

"How about I call in and get a pizza on the way." Ted suggested as they made their way to the cars.

"Sure." Johnny went to fish out some money from his wallet. Ted put his hand on Johnny's to stop him.

"My shout Johnny." Johnny nodded. He knew there was no arguing with his friend.

Ted stayed the night with Johnny. When his wife had taken ill, Johnny had spent many a night with his friend supporting him. It was his turn to support his friend.

Johnny got up early and made his friend breakfast before he left for work. "Give Wayna a hug for me."

"I will…and thanks Ted."

"It was my turn Johnny." He simply put.

Johnny cleaned up the kitchen, showered and called the school to let them know about Wayna. On his way to the hospital he called into a department store and bought Wayna a new pair of pyjamas, a robe and some slippers. He bought him a book on scientific facts for children. He also bought him a colouring book with bugs as the pictures and some colouring pencils.

His crooked smile and sad story induced the sales girl to wrap the gifts for him. He collected his parcels and headed for the hospital an hour before visiting was allowed. He wanted to talk to Dr Brackett about the job offer and find out if Roy was interested.

He walked into the ER and was confronted with chaos. There had been a pile up on the freeway and a long line of ambulances were bringing in patients. Dr Brackett spotted the off duty paramedic. "Johnny, can you help out?"

"Sure Doc."

"Let me take these. I'll put them under the counter." Dixie grabbed everything from Johnny's arms. She gave him a white coat to put on. "You don't want to go up and visit Wayna with blood on your clothes."

"Thanks Dix."

"Johnny over here." Dr Brackett called the paramedic over to his patient. "Could you get his vitals?"

"Sure." Johnny went to work. An hour and half later the crisis was over. Johnny took off the coat.

"Thankyou Johnny."

"That's alright Doc. By the way…." Johnny looked around to make sure no one was in earshot. "What did Roy say about the job offer?"

"He said it sounded great but he had his sights set on becoming an engineer. Funny enough he said he regretted turning down the engineer's job four years ago."

"He did, did he? He was going to take the exam again the following year but he never did…." Johnny contemplated Roy's confession. "Well Doc I've decided I want the job."

Dr Brackett smiled broadly. "That's great."

"What's the time frame Doc?"

"I want you to start as soon as possible."

"Even better. Wayna will be off for a couple of weeks so how about I put in my resignation effective in three weeks. I'll take family leave for the fortnight Wayna's home, which means I'll probably only work another couple of shifts. I'll start here in three weeks."

"I'll get the paperwork organised for you to sign. When you come in tomorrow during shift I'll take you up to see the administrator." Johnny looked at his watch.

"I better go up and see Wayna." Dr Brackett turned serious.

"Johnny I saw him this morning. He's doing well. He asked me something. He said could you get appendicitis if someone kicked you?"

"If someone kicked you." Johnny repeated with a confused expression. "I'll talk to him Doc. I made him promise to tell me anything. I'll find out."

"Ok I'll leave it with you…oh and….congratulations." Dr Brackett shook Johnny's hand. "And…welcome aboard." Johnny smiled and walked over to Dixie's desk, who was busy in a treatment room, and collected his packages. He made his way up to Wayna's room. It bothered him that his cousin may have been kicked by someone. He hoped it was accidental.

Johnny entered his cousin's room. Wayna was sitting up in his bed reading one of the books his friends had given him. There were several cards on his bedhead. A basket with bananas and small packets of sultanas was sitting on his set of drawers. His bear was tucked under his arm.

"Good book?"

"Johnny. It's great."

Johnny approached the bed and brushed a stray hair off his cousin's forehead. "How are you feeling this morning? I'm sorry I'm late but I was helping out downstairs."

"The nurse told me. I'm really sore but I don't feel sick anymore."

"That's good. You'll be sore for a little while."

"When do they take the stitches out?"

"In about a week. Then you can come home." Johnny handed his gifts to Wayna. "These are for you….I brought you some pyjamas, a robe and some slippers." He laid them out on the bed. His cousin tore open the presents.

"Wow!" He leafed through the book, looking at the various pictures. He picked up the colouring book. "This is cool."

Johnny was glad his cousin liked his presents. "Have you had a shower?"

"No. The nurse said I could wait for you."

"Alright. I'll be right back. I'm just going to let her know."

"I heard you." Nurse Cassie walked into the room. "I'll change his bed while you help him shower."

Johnny helped his cousin get out of bed. "Try to straighten. I know it hurts but it's better for your muscles."

Wayna tried to stand straight but when he moved it hurt so he bent over slightly. He shuffled to the bathroom. Johnny helped him remove his gown and washed him. Soon he was dressed in his new pyjamas and sitting in his freshly made bed. Johnny pulled the visitors chair closer to the bed.

"Dr Brackett told me you asked him about being kicked, if it could cause appendicitis." Wayna bowed his head. "Want to tell me about it?"

"It was an accident. Chris…"

"Chris?" Wayna nodded.

"Chris was showing me karate kicks in the backyard. He accidentally kicked me in the side. It really hurt. He pleaded with me to not tell on him. He didn't want to get into trouble."

Johnny sighed. "When was this?"

"On Sunday."

"Was it hurting all the time?"

"Not all the time. If I stayed still it just ached a little but when I ate lunch at school, I started to feel sick. That's when I vomited and that really hurt."

"Ok…but next time you tell me. No secrets."

Wayna nodded. "Will Chris get into trouble?"

"No…like you said it was an accident. It's not as if he was trying to kick you." Wayna chewed his bottom lip. "Was it?"

"At first he was just showing me. Then he wanted me to try to kick him so he could show me how to block it…but I didn't want to do it. He kept getting closer. Feather barked at Chris and I was looking at him when Chris kicked again. He thought I was going to move but I was looking at Feather and I didn't see the kick coming."

"It's ok Wayna. Don't upset yourself. It was silly of Chris but it was an accident. He wouldn't deliberately hurt you. He just didn't think it through. I'm glad you told me the whole story." Johnny patted his cousin's leg. "Now let's do some colouring in."

Johnny pulled the rollable table across the bed and sat on the bed. They coloured opposite pages and talked. Johnny told his cousin a story about a grasshopper that his grandfather had told him when he was a boy. Wayna listened and hung on every word. His grandfather had not had time to tell him stories. His eyes beamed with love for his cousin. Johnny was filling a role that had been missing for the young boy all his life. A father.


	10. Chapter 10

"I've never seen a grasshopper with purple spots." Wayna pointed to Johnny's picture. "And I've never seen a tree with multi coloured leaves that include blue and purple."

"It's fall and who says grasshoppers can't have purple spots?"

"What's this, grasshopper with purple spots?" Dr Brackett lent over the paramedics shoulder and inspected Johnny's picture. He picked up a pink pencil and started to colour. "You missed a spot."

Dixie walked in and looked on at the three males colouring. She went to the other side of the bed and viewed Wayna's picture." I think this needs a women's touch." She picked up a yellow pencil and started colouring. Wayna smiled at the nurse.

"It's good to see that everyone is busy in this hospital?" Dr Morton entered the room five minutes after Dixie. Since Dr Brackett had told him about Johnny's appointment he had wanted to congratulate the paramedic.

"We're on a break!" Both Dixie and Dr Bracket said in unison. Mike held up his hands, surrendering.

"I wanted to congratulate you Johnny. I know we haven't always seen eye to eye over the years but I just want you to know I'm pleased you're taking the job." They shook hands.

"Thanks Mike. Congratulations on your appointment."

Mike cleared his throat. "Thanks but it's still not official yet."

"You do know that everyone already knows. That it's all over the hospital and fire department?" Dr Brackett looked up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, Kurt told me. He heard some nurses talking about it in the lounge."

"Nothing gets past the hospital grapevine." Dixie announced shaking her head.

"Guess we better make the announcements pretty soon." Dr Brackett put down his pencil. "As much as I'd rather be doing this, I better get back." He ruffled Wayna's hair and lent over to whisper in the boy's ear. "I like your picture better."

"Hey! I heard that." Johnny said indignantly. He feigned that he was hurt.

Dixie stood up and looked at Johnny's picture. "I don't know….that grasshopper is hard to beat."

"Thanks Dix."

"Bye Wayna."

"Bye Miss McCall…Bye Dr Brackett." Both waved as they left the room.

"Wayna, have you met Dr Morton?" Wayna shook his head. He held out his hand.

"Hello Dr Morton." They shook hands.

"Dr Morton will be in charge of the emergency part of the new children's hospital that they are going to build next door."

"How are you feeling? How's the pain?"

Johnny let his cousin answer the doctor. "My side hurts but not as much as yesterday and I don't feel sick anymore."

"Doc he's been coughing."

"That would be the after effects of the anaesthesia. Just make sure he takes deep breaths every so often and coughs up the congestion. I'll make a note in his charts."

"Thanks Doc."

"Bye."

"Bye Dr Morton." Wayna looked at Johnny and frowned. "What was Dr Morton congratulating you for?"

Johnny smiled, nothing got past his cousin. "I accepted a new job here at the hospital, Paramedic Co-ordinator. I'll be leaving the field and the fire department…..but it will mean I won't be working 24 hour shifts so I'll be home every night." Wayna smiled; having his cousin home every day excited him.

"Will you still be a paramedic?"

"Yes. I'll work in the emergency department on a regular basis to test out new procedures and to improve current procedures. I'll be working mainly with Dr Brackett."

"I was thinking." Wayna looked up at his cousin with his big brown eyes. "I'd like to be a doctor when I grow up." Johnny thought being in hospital and made well by Dr Brackett, rendered the idea of being a doctor appeal to his cousin.

"That would be a fine profession but it takes many years to become a doctor….There's plenty of time to decide but I think being a doctor is a good thought." His cousin nodded in reply. "Lunch should be here soon. I'm going to grab a coffee from the machine. I brought my lunch." Johnny left the room. He thought Wayna was certainly bright enough to be a doctor. Kids probably made snap decisions like this all the time, although from a very early age he could remember wanting to be a tiller man and that then changed to a fireman when he moved to LA.

Throughout the afternoon and into the evening Wayna was visited by many on duty and off duty firemen and paramedics. By the end of the day he had lots of books to read. Craig had given him a book that explained the human body. Bret gave him a book on looking after your pet.

During Craig's visit Johnny went to the Fire Department HQ to officially hand in his resignation. He arranged for family leave for when Wayna was home from the hospital. The paramedic would only work two more shifts and then be on family leave for the remainder of his employment with the fire department. This was a new chapter in his life and he was looking forward to raising his young cousin and advancing the paramedic program into a new era.

The boy in the next bed watched in ore as firemen and paramedics visited wearing their uniforms as well as those off duty who obviously were in civilian clothes. Some of the visitors talked to him and shared with him some goodies they brought for Wayna to eat.

Wayna had never received so many presents. He made sure he thanked everyone. Johnny decided to take a lot of the present's home. When his cousin got everything together to take home Wayna sighed. "I wish I could go home with you. I miss Feather."

"I'd bring him in to see you but dogs aren't allowed in hospitals. You'll just have to settle with seeing me in the meantime. While I'm working tomorrow I'll come up in between runs. Two more shifts and I'll be able to spend more time with you."

"It's not that Johnny. You do so much for me. I just like being home with you and Feather." Johnny looked into his cousins big brown eyes. He considered breaking the rules and staying after visiting hours. It was as if Dixie could read his mind, she entered the room and held out her wrist tapping her watch. "I know I know….visiting hours are over." Johnny started to collect everything he had packed up.

Dixie straightened Wayna's bed. "You young man need to get some sleep. You've had quite a day."

"He has had a lot of visitors."

"Yes well….the nurses said they haven't seen so many firemen come to this ward before."

"Ooops." Johnny brought his hand up to his mouth. Wayna giggled.

"Come on Johnny….I'll be back in a minute Wayna and you too Martin. I heard about the food being snuck up here." The boy in the other bed giggled also.

"See you tomorrow Wayna." Johnny yelled as he exited, or more like, was pushed out of the room. Once out of earshot Johnny spoke to Dix. "He's still coughing Dix."

"That's normal Johnny but if you're worried I'll get Kel to have a listen to his chest."

"Thanks Dix. Bye."

Dixie watched Johnny walk down the hall to the elevator. _'Oh you've got it bad Johnny.'_

The next morning Johnny felt a knot in his stomach as he got closer to the station. Even though A shift's crew had grown apart, he still felt sad about leaving. Apart from Cap, they had been together for nearly six years. Roy had been his partner for all that time and despite their differences socially, they were a good team and he loved working alongside Roy. He would miss working with him.

They lined up for roll call. Johnny had not had a chance to speak to Roy, he had been side tracked by Dwyer. He wanted to know how Wayna was and what to get him. "I have a few announcements…one important announcement." Cap looked at his paramedic solemnly. Johnny grimaced and hung his head. "Gentlemen we have come to the end of an age….one of us is leaving." Each crew member looked around except for Johnny who continued to look at the floor.

"Who's leaving?" Chet asked without waiting for the Cap to make the announcement.

"I am Chet." Johnny said quietly, so quietly Chet almost missed hearing it.

Cap took over. "Johnny is leaving the fire department. He has one more shift after this one with us and then he'll be on family leave for two weeks. I'm sorry to see you go pal. It's been a pleasure and true honour working with you. You'll be missed." Cap offered Johnny his hand.

"Thanks Cap, I've really enjoyed working with you…..with all you guys."

Roy stood still watching his partner. _'Leaving…what?'_

Johnny turned and looked at his partner. "I'm sorry Roy I was going to tell you before start…"

"You're actually leaving? Are you crazy? Why?"

"A few things actually. For one…"

"Ah no….this can't be because of your cousin. I can't believe you're giving up your career…"

"No Roy…..not just because of Wayna although that's part of it…When Dr Brackett offered me the Paramedic Co-ordinator job last shift, the more I thought about it…the more I wanted it. When you turned it down I accepted immediately and he wants me to start straight away. All the announcements will be made tomorrow…. .You're all looking at moving on…it's just worked out that I'm moving first."

"Why the family leave?" Chet asked.

"Wayna was operated on yesterday, appendicitis. I want to be home when he gets out of hospital at the end of the week."

"I'm sorry to hear that pal." Cap said with concern. Johnny was looking at Roy who was just staring at him in disbelief. Cap cleared his throat; Roy's staring was making everyone nervous. "Like I said you'll be missed but the paramedic program will definitely benefit having you in charge."

"There are some more announcements. The engineers exams have been scheduled for next month, so, Chet…Roy you need to register with HQ. Mike the Captains exam will take place a week later." Mike nodded. Cap glanced at Roy who was still staring at his partner. He nodded his head towards the kitchen, at Chet, Mike and Marco.

Johnny watched them leave and faced his long-time partner. Roy sighed. "So this is it. I always thought it would be me moving on….leaving you behind."

"You'll be leaving soon enough. You'll probably come in first when you take that exam and it's what you want."

Roy looked up at his partner. "Brackett told you."

"Yes he told me…I was surprised, yet….not. We haven't exactly been getting along this past year."

"Is that why you're leaving?" Johnny frowned at Roy's short sightedness.

"Of course not! I want this job. I wanted it as soon as Brackett told me about it. Listen Roy, I admit I was looking for a solution to working 24hr shifts but to be honest I would have taken this job despite that."

"I always thought you'd stay in the field til they changed the rules in the department."

"To move up from paramedic straight to Captain?"

"Yes." Roy sighed and rubbed the side of his eye. "As you said we're all moving on." Roy turned and walked towards the kitchen. Johnny stared at his partner's back in disbelief. His one-time best friend walked away without asking how Wayna was or congratulating him on his new job.


	11. Chapter 11

"You were offered the same job Roy?" Cap was sitting with the rest of the crew at the table in the kitchen.

"Yes. Brackett offered it to me the morning after last shift. It sounded good but…." Roy recalled what Johnny had said. _'Offered me the Paramedic Co-ordinator job last shift…..last shift.'_

"But what Roy?" Chet asked the distracted paramedic. Roy shook his head and continued.

"But I want to be an engineer. Driving and looking after the engine is where I want to move career wise." Roy looked towards the bay area and realised his partner had not followed him into the kitchen.

Johnny knelt down next to the squad and did the usual morning checks. He was avoiding his friends, not feeling like answering their questions. He listened to Dixie reply and smiled, _'Only one more to go.'_ They needed to replenish their supplies, so he ducked his head into the kitchen. "Cap we need to do a supply run."

"Sure pal….Roy?" Cap looked at the senior paramedic with sympathy. Johnny's move had rattled the man. Roy was staring at the table lost in thought.

Roy nodded and rose from his chair. They watched him leave. Mike observed his Captain. He could see the concern and sad acceptance on his face. It really was the end of an age.

The trip in the squad was quiet and tense. Johnny glanced at Roy and saw how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel. He turned his head and stared out the passenger window not looking at anything in particular.

"You didn't tell me that Brackett offered you the job."

"He asked me not to say anything." Johnny shrugged his shoulders.

"You'll be back."

"Pardon?"

"I said you'll be back. You're a born rescue man." Roy continued to grip the steering wheel tightly. He also believed his partner had commitment issues having started and not finished many projects over the years.

"I'm sorry Roy but you're wrong pally."

"You'll lose interest like you always do and want to come back. Let's face it Johnny you don't exactly follow many things through to the end. Like I've said before, commitment wears off pretty quickly with you." He laughed. "You know my friends sussed you out as soon as they met you. They said I must have the patience of a saint." Roy chuckled unkindly.

Johnny realised his once best friend was no longer his pally. He had been kidding himself. He had honestly thought that they were still basically friends but not as close as they once were. He sighed and began to count down the hours. End of shift would not come quick enough.

Roy and Johnny walked up to Dixie's counter. "Hi Dix. Here's the supply list. I'm just going to pop up and see Wayna." Johnny didn't look at or acknowledge his partner.

Dixie smiled. "I saw him earlier. He was reading." Johnny grinned but the ever observant nurse noticed his eyes reflected a deep hurt.

Roy watched his partner walk away. "Don't be long…we have to get back to the station." Johnny continued walking towards the elevator completely ignoring his partner. He knew it was petty and rude but he couldn't bring himself to even look at Roy let alone answer him.

Roy frowned and shook his head. "You want to fill me in? I've never seen your partner so…." She couldn't think of the right word. She looked accusingly at Roy.

He tried to act ignorant but oozed guilt. He knew he had hurt his friend and in a small way regretted his callous comments. Then he thought about Johnny leaving and decided what did it matter? His younger single partner's way of life simply didn't have a place in his and his family's life now that he had reconnected with his brothers in arms, so why did he care so much that he was leaving. If he had been honest with himself he would have admitted that he didn't like being left behind by his partner.

Johnny peeked into the room. Wayna was frowning at what he was reading. "That bad huh?"

"Johnny." His cousin's big smile lit up his darkened heart.

"How are you feeling today and how's that cough?"

"My side still hurts but I was able to walk pretty straight this morning. I tried like you told me." Wayna sensed that his cousin was unhappy.

"Did Dr Brackett check your chest?"

"Yes. He let me listen to my heart through the steth…stetha..."

"Stethoscope." Johnny chuckled.

"Yes….did you know that Dr Early got one of those plastic things stuck in his ear?"

"No I didn't. Have you met Dr Early?" Johnny hadn't seen the doctor around; he had been away at a conference.

"He was with Dr Brackett this morning."

"Oh…then he's back. He's been away, I didn't realise he was back. He looked after me when I got hit by a car."

"Your cousin kept me on my toes that night. When he was recovering he had nurses looking for him all over the hospital because he wouldn't stay in bed once they got him into a wheel chair." Dr Early stood beside Johnny smiling in his kindly way. "I have a gift."

Johnny bowed his head as he shook it. Dr Early had fallen under Wayna's spell also.

"It's an older one I don't use anymore. I thought you could have some fun with it." Wayna's eyes lit up.

"Thank you." He looked at the stethoscope. Johnny's HT went off.

He listened to the call and quickly wrote down the address. "Got to go. See you Wayna….Dr Early….Martin." The other boy in the room looked up as Johnny dashed out of the room. He raced down the stairs and called out to Roy as he grabbed the box of supplies. "Got a run….See you Dix."

Roy put down his cup and followed his partner out to the squad. When they got into the squad Johnny told Roy the address and what it was for. They sped off and put on their paramedic masks concentrating on the run, forgetting their differences.

The run didn't require a follow up so they made their way back to the station. Roy backed the squad in. Johnny was out of the squad before it came to a stop. Cap exited his office. "Roy you have the dorms. John hoses with Mike."

"Thanks Cap." Both paramedics answered in unison. They went their separate ways without acknowledging each other.

After finishing the dorms Roy entered the kitchen to get a coffee. Marco was busy cleaning around Henry. "You ever consider taking the engineers exam Marco?"

Marco stood and considered the question. "No, not me Roy. I'm actually thinking of becoming a paramedic. I've been studying at home. Johnny lent me some books a while back and told me to look through them before making a decision." Roy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I'm glad he did because I'm not going to try the upcoming course. I'm going to wait for the next one. I want to be more familiar with everything before committing."

"If you need any help, just ask."

"Thanks Roy." He smiled to himself as he continued to clean around Henry. "I don't know how you guys learnt everything in such a short time. Johnny did say that his head was spinning."

Roy was lost in thought. Old memories of a younger Johnny clashing with Brackett, cramming all the needed information into his head came rushing back. The ups and downs within the job, and the close friendship that they once had, also came rushing back and hit the senior paramedic hard. He too, like Mike and Cap, suddenly realised it was an end of an age and now regretted his stinging words.

He stood in the doorway of the back door and watched Johnny hang the hoses with Mike. They worked silently and efficiently. He shook his head and reluctantly accepted that the close friendship with his partner was lost. He had his army friends and their families, and convinced himself that his family was better off. A touch of doubt gnawed at his gut but he ignored it.

The shift ended much the same way it started except there was an undercurrent of sadness and regret. The end of an age, as Cap had put it, had come at a cost. All of A shift, including Johnny, was beginning to realise that they had allowed a close nit 'family' to drift apart. One by one they left for home, not even taking the time to say goodbye to each other. So wrapped up in their own lives and thoughts, they came to realise what they had thrown away, too late.

Johnny stopped by Craig's and tried to explain how depressing the station had become. The conversation with Roy had hurt him deeply and he had found it hard to be upbeat each time he visited Wayna. He saw the confusion in the young boy's eyes, sensing that something was troubling his older cousin.

"What do I do Craig?"

"This may sound harsh but I think you need to let go of your old friendships and just move on. You're not alone anymore, none of us are. As you said to me when you decided to take the job, this is a new chapter in your life, well….take the friendships that mean something to you into that chapter and build on them. Leave the old ones behind and let them build their own friendships."

Johnny nodded and smiled. "You're right. Onward and upward?"

Craig nodded and genuinely smiled; a smile only his close friends witnessed. "Let's go see that cousin of yours." Johnny left Craig's small apartment feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"What's all this?" Roy looked at the packed bag and sleeping bag sitting in the front room. He had arrived home late in the morning having spent some time at HQ registering for the engineer's exam and obtaining some books from the fire department's library.

"Chris is staying over at Col and Gail's tonight and tomorrow night for Felix's birthday. The boys are going bowling and the movies while we set up for the party tomorrow." Joanne was busily making some pies for the party.

"I forgot about Chris staying tonight. What time are we expected over tomorrow?" Roy grabbed some coffee.

"Around 11. Did you get everything done?" Joanne listened to her husband explain what he needed to do before the exam, as she rolled out some dough.

When Chris got home from school, he quickly changed to leave for Felix's. Roy dropped him off an hour later. While the fathers were talking the boys asked to go to the park. Felix's dad gave them permission telling them to stick together.

The boys gathered around and decided what to do first. Felix and Phillip showed Chris some karate that they had learnt recently. Another friend, Josh joined the boys. They played war games, using sticks as guns.

Felix led his friends from the park into a vacant overgrown area, through an old chain-link fence. They were soon running around continuing their war games. The uneven ground made good hiding places, which they used to surprise the enemy.

"Hey guys, look what I found?" Phillip held up what looked like a rusty gun.

"Coool." The four boys inspected the gun as Phillip turned it over in his hand.

"It's pretty old." Felix declared. "You can be the General." He pointed to Phillip who saluted in reply. The boys scattered as Phillip aimed the gun at his friends. A shot rang out over the quiet suburban area.


	12. Chapter 12

Chris and Josh stopped running and turned around. They stood frozen looking at Phillip. He was smiling as he inspected the gun more closely. Felix walked up to Phillip and snatched the gun from his hands. "This is great…it's loaded."

"Hey! I found it." Felix pushed Phillip away as he tried to grab the gun back.

"It's my birthday." Chris watched the two boys fight over the gun. His curiosity got the better of him. He joined Phillip and Felix.

"Can I see it?" He reached out for the gun. Felix pulled the gun in close to his chest, turning his body from the grabbing hands. He looked at Chris and frowned.

"Your dad would get real mad at you." He smirked as he said it. He knew how much Chris wanted to go hunting with them. He made sure he had a little dig about it whenever Chris was with him.

"I don't care. Let me see." He lunged for the gun. The three boys ended up wrestling on the ground. Josh watched, as different hands tried to grasp the gun, but it was firmly being held in Felix's hand. There was another shot.

Johnny finally met the hospital administrator. Dr Brackett wanted them to meet yesterday but the busy man had been tied up in meetings. The announcements of the changes to the hospital and new appointments were made soon after the meeting.

"So it's all official now?" Craig slapped Johnny on the back.

"Yes…the beginning of a new chapter." Johnny took a deep breath and smiled. Wayna's meal arrived. "I'll get us something from the cafeteria." Johnny offered Craig.

"You stay, I'll get it. Chocolate shakes times three." Johnny and Wayna nodded together. When Craig left the room Wayna observed his older cousin. He seemed to him to be happier than he had been the previous day.

"Are you sad about leaving the fire department?" Wayna asked his cousin. Johnny was inspecting the meal. He lifted the dome covering the main meal and sniffed.

"A little. I always wanted to be a fireman but when the Paramedic Program came along, I was hooked. More people survive and make it to the hospital to get the treatment they need because of the paramedics. This is the next step for the program and I want to be a part of it. Eat up before it gets cold."

The three fathers were still talking when sirens rushed past the house. Roy immediately looked out the window and saw a squad and engine moving down the street. When the sirens stopped a short time later he decided to investigate. Both Felix and Phillips' dads joined him. They walked down the street towards the flashing lights.

"They've stopped near the park." Felix's father stated as he quickened his pace. All three fathers had a bad feeling in the pit of their stomachs as they ran to the park.

"What have we got Sam?" Vince asked the Captain. Sam had an arm on the shoulders of two boys. Another boy was being worked on frantically by the paramedics. They were defibrillating as he spoke.

"The guns over there Vince. It looks old. Kids must have found it." The Captain's face said it all. The young boy had no pulse and had stopped breathing before they arrived. The situation was dire.

The ambulance arrived as the three fathers ran up to the gathered firemen and paramedics. "Oh God no." Phillip's father rushed over to the small prone body of his son that was being worked on by the paramedics and firemen.

"CLEAR!" Kurt tried again.

"No conversion." His partner called. Dr Brackett called out orders over the biophone. A fireman continued CPR.

Roy grabbed hold of Chris. "What happened?" Chris was crying.

"The gun went off. We were wrestling and it went off. It was an accident."

"Wrestling? What do you mean wrestling? Don't tell me you were fighting over a gun?" Roy yelled at his son. Chris nodded. Roy pursed his lips together. "After everything we talked about. Well take a look Chris…this is what I warned you about." Roy was pointing to the gurney that was being wheeled to the waiting ambulance with a paramedic doing CPR while a fireman was pushing oxygen into Phillip's lungs.

Felix's father looked on in shock. "Where did you get the gun?"

"Phillip found it. We didn't know it was loaded. I tried to stop Chris from grabbing the gun but he wouldn't stop." Chris shook his head denying what Felix was saying.

"That's not true." Roy grabbed his son and was about to question him more.

"Ok boys, that's enough." Vince looked at the fathers. "We all need to calm down." Roy nodded but was fuming inside. He was angry with whoever left the gun in the park and he was mad at his son for ignoring his warnings. "Let's follow the ambulance to the hospital. I'll take the statements there."

"We'll go in the squad Vince and meet you there." Roy wanted the boys separated for the ride in. Vince took Felix, his father and Josh in the squad car, while Roy, with Chris, drove the squad in for the paramedics.

As all the vehicles arrived one after the other, there was a flurry of activity. The gurney carrying Phillip was wheeled into the treatment room with Kurt riding it, administering CPR. Everyone gathered outside the door and waited. Fifteen minutes later Dr Brackett opened the door. Roy knew that look. The boy had not survived. Chris looked up at his father and saw him shake his head.

Kurt despondently walked out with his partner. Dr Brackett addressed the group. "There was too much damage. We couldn't get him back. I'm sorry." Phillip's father stood frozen in shock and disbelief.

Roy put his hand on his shoulder. "Come sit down." He guided him to a small waiting room. Chris, Felix and his father followed." Vince asked Dr Brackett a few questions and then joined the group.

"I need to find out what happened. The truth boys. We know it was an accident but we need to know the truth." Vince waited for the three boys to collect themselves. "You first Chris."

He told Vince how Phillip found the gun and that it went off while they were playing. He then told Vince how he joined Felix and Phillip wrestling for the gun and how it went off while they were on the ground.

When Josh's father arrived Vince got the boy's statement. His story collaborated Chris's statement. Felix told the same story except for one thing. He told Vince he was trying to get the gun from Phillip because it was loaded and dangerous, that he was going to give it to his father. Josh and Chris shook their heads denying Felix's account.

Phillip's father listened to the stories and shook his head. Deep down he knew that his son had acted foolish. Both Phillip and Felix knew that they had to be careful with any gun. He would never find out why his son had acted so recklessly.

"Thanks. That's all I need for now." Vince told the group.

"What happens now Vince?" Roy asked his friend.

"There will be an inquest. The boys, if found responsible for the shooting may have to spend some time in Juvenile detention." Roy nodded accepting Vince's statement. The dejected policeman put his hand on Phillip's father's shoulder. He couldn't imagine how this man felt. "I'll take you home."

"I taught him how to be safe around guns and look what happened. He ignored everything I taught him."

"Unfortunately kids don't think the same way as us. I see it all the time. They forget everything and just live for that moment and that's when things go wrong."

Roy called Joanne to come and pick them up.

Kurt went upstairs and found Johnny in Wayna's room. He asked him to follow him out. Once they were outside the room, he told Johnny the tragic story. Johnny bowed his head.

"Kids. They don't listen." Johnny stated sadly.

"Two of the boys knew better, yet they played with a loaded gun."

"Now one of them is dead. How are Roy and Chris?" Johnny knew his partner well enough to know that he would be angry and disappointed with his son.

"They're not good Johnny. Roy sees this kind of thing in his work, last thing he needs is for it to happen in his personal life. He's pretty angry with Chris." Johnny shook his head.

"Where is he now?"

"Joanne is picking them up and taking them home. They're probably gone already. He'll be alright; it will just take some time for him to come to terms with how close he came to losing his son today." Johnny nodded knowingly. Kurt placed a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "I've got to go. Matt is waiting for me."

"Sure. Thanks for telling me Kurt." He watched his friend leave, took a deep breath. _'What a mess.'_ He plastered a smile on his face before he entered the room. He watched Craig explain to his cousin where his appendix once was, pointing to a picture in the book he had given him. He was so grateful to have friends like Craig and Kurt. Roy would have to rely on his army friends and their families during this tragic time. His partner had made it very clear that he no longer had a place in his life so he would let his partner come to him if he needed him.

Johnny spent his last shift with a sub. Both Kurt and Craig had tossed for it, not wanting their friend to spend his last shift with a stranger. Craig won.

Roy had requested time off to deal with the accident. They were taking Chris to a counsellor. He had expected his son to have nightmares but he had slept without any problems. In fact he was very quiet, which worried them. Vince had recommended the counsellor to Roy; getting the boy to open up was a step in the right direction.

At 8am the end of Johnny's last shift, the end of an age came to pass. Johnny said his goodbyes to his once close friends. Cap shook his hand and told him not to be a stranger. Mike wished him all the best with his new career path. Marco told him he'd see him soon. Chet looked at the man he once referred to as his pigeon. "I'm glad I knew you Johnny. We had some good times. See you around."

Johnny cleaned out his locker, rolled up his Smokey the Bear poster and left station 51 for the last time. Craig walked with him out to his truck, giving him silent support. "Onward and upward?"

Craig nodded and smiled. "Let's go out for breakfast…I'm buying."

"That would be good Craig." The two paramedics drove to a diner that was frequently used by the fire and police departments. The parking lot was unusually full but there was no line-up at the door. When Johnny walked in he was cheered by the occupants. He bowed and shook his head. He pointed at Craig. "You…you…" Craig just smiled smugly back.

The first person to walk up and shake his hand was Roy. The surprised look on Johnny's face was priceless. "Kurt told me what they had in mind. Couldn't not come. Hope you don't mind?" Roy said subduedly.

"Of course not Roy…It's because of you that I'm starting this new chapter in my life. If you hadn't of convinced me to train to be a paramedic, this opportunity would never have happened. Thanks." Before Roy could respond, Johnny was grabbed and lifted by some of his friends and carried to a table that had been set up for the celebration. Sitting at the table was Dixie and Wayna. Roy slipped away through the front door, closing the chapter of, Roy DeSoto and Johnny Gage, in his life.

His cousin was in a wheel chair and was smiling broadly. To be a part of Johnny's celebration was a big thrill for the boy. Breakfast was served and soon everyone was sitting down to a selection of breakfast treats. "How does it feel to be sitting and eating a big breakfast with all of these firemen?"

"This is great. I'm so happy Miss McCall said she would bring me."

"She's one special lady. We'll have to invite her over one night for some of our Gage stew."

"We'll be able to make that whenever we like from now on."

"That's right. No more 24hr shifts." The two cousins smiled at each other.

"What are you two cooking up?"

"Oh nothing." The two cousins said together, looking as innocent as they could before bursting out laughing. Dixie shook her head.

Dixie took Wayna back to the hospital, giving Johnny a chance to thank each of his friends. It wasn't a final goodbye, because he would be still working with the paramedics and he would make sure he kept in close touch with the others.

Johnny took Wayna home the next day from the hospital and after two weeks of recuperation he was back at school. His friend's Danny and Steve had spent a couple of afternoons with him giving him work from school that the teacher had sent home. He was able to catch up with no difficulty.

Johnny moved into the job of Paramedic Co-Ordinator without any trouble. He loved his job and he loved being home every day. If he was caught up in meetings, one of his friends would gladly pick Wayna up from school and spend the afternoon with him. His young cousin even spent one Saturday morning with Dr Early when Johnny was delayed getting back from a conference. He never stopped talking about wanting to be a doctor.

Six months later Johnny was working with Dr Brackett in the emergency department. They were trying out a new procedure. "Marco!"

"Hello Johnny." Marco was getting some supplies from one of the nurses.

"How's it all going at station 45?"

"It's going great. I'm glad I made the move to become a paramedic. Did you know Roy's the engineer there? He's helped me a lot." Marco knew that the two friends rarely spoke to each other.

"Yes I did know. Hank told me….said he came in number one on the list." Johnny smiled; Roy had done what he had predicted.

Marco's partner walked out of the treatment room. He slapped Johnny on the back. "You all set for the weekend?"

"Me….It's Wayna you have to worry about. He's been packed for a week and keeps asking me what time are we leaving. He then works out to the minute how much time is left before we leave….and lists….I thought I was bad." Ted chuckled; he knew Johnny loved having his cousin on these trips. He was able to teach him what his grandfather had taught him.

"He might not want to come with us again when we take him up Apparition Rock." Both men had a chuckle.

"I'll have breakfast waiting. See you bright and early Saturday morning." Ted and Marco left the hospital. Dixie walked up behind Johnny.

"Marco's turned into a good paramedic."

Johnny turned around. "I'm glad he went through with it."

"You all set for the weekend. Wayna told me you were all going rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park." Johnny shook his head.

"Who hasn't he told…He's so excited….and yes I'm ready." Johnny rubbed the back of his neck. "I better get back to work."

He left the emergency area and headed back to the Paramedic Training Centre. He too was looking forward to the weekend. He missed the rescue work, but he didn't miss the shifts. Getting away with his friends kept the urges at bay. He loved his job too much and would never go back.


	13. Chapter 13

"Just a few more feet champ. You're almost there." Johnny called out to his young cousin, encouraging him to keep going. He could see he was tiring but sheer determination was pushing his cousin on.

"Just a couple of more feet Wayna. Come on, you can do it." Craig was waiting at the top. Ted was half way down, in case something went wrong.

Craig reached out and grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him over the edge. He waited for Wayna to catch his breath. When the boy straightened up and finally looked around he smiled. "I did it. I actually did it."

Craig slapped him on the back. "You sure did."

Wayna placed his hands on either side of his mouth and yelled down at the others. "I did it!"

Everyone chuckled. They all climbed to the top and shook hands with the excited boy. "Well you are now officially, no longer a beginner. Congratulations." Johnny hugged his cousin. He was proud of him. "Look at this view." He pulled out his camera and took some photos.

"Can we stay up here and have lunch?" Wayna looked up at Johnny, eyes sparkling with wonder.

Johnny swallowed; he knew he was doomed as soon as he looked into the eager boy's eyes. Sitting on the hard rock surface would be uncomfortable. "Ah…ah…sh…sh…sure." He heard groans all around him. "Why don't you guys decent and have lunch back at camp. I'll have lunch with Wayna here. I can tell him a few stories about the desert."

"Alright, we'll be back for your decent in an hour."

"Thanks guys."

Wayna and Johnny watched their friends decent down the rock. They found a place to sit. Johnny pulled out their lunch. While eating, he told Wayna a story his grandfather had told him.

"I wish I had known him." Wayna said longingly.

"He was very old and had lived through some very hard times. He told me the stories so I could pass them on. That's how our people keep their history alive."

"So…when I have children….I should tell them the stories."

"Yes." Johnny ruffled Wayna's hair. "That's a long way off champ. You've got helmet hair."

"Helmet hair?"

"Yeah. It's flat and shaped like your helmet."

Wayna started laughing and pointed. "So have you." Johnny indignantly started ruffling his hair.

A week later, Johnny was showing Dixie the photos from their trip. Soon Dr Brackett, Dr Early and Dr Morton joined in looking at them.

"The views are breath taking." Dr Brackett commented.

"Desert sunsets can take your breath away Doc." Johnny showed him the picture of Wayna on top of Apparition Rock. "That's my boy….he made it to the top without any help."

Dixie grinned; Johnny had become more than just a guardian for Wayna. He was more like the father he never knew. Dr Brackett was also grinning, he glanced at Dixie knowingly.

Around them the hospital was undergoing huge changes. The emergency area had been expanded with an express elevator put in to the roof for helicopter landings. Gurneys were no longer transported through the parking lot. Building had begun on the children's hospital next door. A bridge would be built between the two buildings linking level four where the operating theatres are located.

Two treatment rooms had been allocated for children in the current emergency area. Triage nurses were being trained to handle children in preparation for the new emergency department in the children's hospital. Dr Morton, with Johnny's help, set up a new way for the paramedics to communicate with the hospital if a child was their patient.

Through all of the building and reorganising the hospital continued to function. Rampart had been the hospital that introduced ground breaking procedures in emergency medicine and continued to do so.

Two years later the new Rampart Children's Hospital was officially opened. It was a proud day for the hospital. A ward in the new hospital was named in honour of an eleven year old blonde haired boy named Randy Sherwood who died on the operating table after sustaining a blow to the head with a baseball. His death had started the initial plans for a children's hospital. His parents and coach were invited to the opening ceremony and took part in the cutting of the ribbon.

The next day Johnny watched the first squad pull up to the emergency entrance of the children's hospital. Dr Brackett came up next to him and placed his hand on the still youthful looking man's shoulder. "It's a fine sight. You know emergency medicine has come a long way."

"You're one of the reasons why Doc. I have a feeling this children's hospital is going to make its mark in history."

He agreed. "Come on I'll buy you a cup of coffee." The two men walked back to the main hospital, chatting along the way. They had become very good friends since Johnny had taken the job of Paramedic Co-ordinator.

Wayna's dream of becoming a doctor never swayed. He was dux of his school and entered junior high school with one main goal; to become a doctor. He was placed in classes to challenge his mind. He flourished and loved learning, something he never took for granted. Growing up on the reservation where life was much simpler, kept him grounded and he was thankful every day that his cousin had come for him and became his guardian. He loved Johnny.

He knew his mother was looking down on him and watching over him. He was determined to become a doctor and help people; make his mother proud. He continued to play the drums. He formed a band with some of his high school friends. Johnny, and the neighbours, endured the jamming sessions. It was all part of having a teenager in the house.

Johnny and Wayna regularly got together with Ted, Kurt, and Craig and went on mini camping trips which always included some rock climbing. When the rules changed in the fire department, a paramedic could move up to captain, Ted sat for the exam and became a captain.

Johnny spent a lot of time at Fire Department HQ setting up new courses and arranging for all firemen to be taught basic first aid. A lot of the new paramedics no longer belonged to the fire department. They were college graduates whose prime purpose was to be a paramedic. The fire department would handle the rescue and the paramedics would take over once the rescue was complete. Some paramedics were still attached to the fire department but they were becoming fewer and fewer, especially as the existing ones moved on.

Johnny was grabbing a cup of coffee before starting one of his lectures at HQ when he overheard a conversation.

"We need to test out the engine with our equipment before we commit. Who's our best engineer?"

"That would be Roy DeSoto, without a doubt."

Johnny smiled to himself. Roy never half did anything, he thought. He even felt a little proud of his once paramedic partner. He had heard that Roy had been behind a few changes to the firemen's safety equipment.

A year later Johnny was attending a conference in Boston and met a woman named Sarah. She was involved with the newly formed department that was trying to change the emergency medical workforce. It would not be until ten years later that a new program would be introduced right across America. It would involve having an Emergency Medical Services workforce who would hold a whole range of certificates at different levels for emergency medicine.

Johnny and Sarah developed a relationship that steadily grew. So much so that during summer Wayna would often spend a couple of weeks with Sarah attending summer classes at the university, run especially for high school students.

Johnny became heavily involved with the EMS Authority. He would later be appointed on the Steering Committee of the Emergency Medical Services National Highway Safety Administration. Craig Brice was put in charge of paramedic regulations out in the field. He worked closely with Dr Brackett and other Emergency heads in other hospitals within California. After spending so much time at Johnny's house, he decided to buy his own home in the same area. He ended up buying a house only a few doors down from Johnny's.

Three years on Johnny was attending a meeting at the Fire Department HQ. He entered the building's foyer and headed for the receptionist's desk. A touch of nostalgia always hit him when he entered the building.

"Hello Johnny." Johnny turned around to the familiar voice.

"Roy….it's been a long time. How are you?" Johnny shook his hand.

"I'm good…..just filling out some paperwork. What brings you here?"

Johnny held up some files. "I'm meeting with the chief. How's the family?"

"They're all good. Chris has joined the army. Never was able to change his mind about guns."

"I'm sorry to hear that. At least in the army he'll learn how to safely handle a gun."

"Both he and his best friend Felix joined up. What's Wayna going to do when he leaves school?"

"He's going to be a doctor. He's already been accepted into Harvard on a full scholarship. He wants to become a heart specialist."

"Wow!….He'll be living a long way away and it would cost a bit to live there."

"He has money in a trust fund from the sale of his grandfather's ranch. I've been putting away a bit each month to make sure he has enough to live on. My partner has an apartment in Boston so he has somewhere to stay."

"You've got it all worked out then."

"Yes….well, you have to plan these things if you want them to work."

"You mentioned you have a partner."

"I met Sarah on one of the many conferences I attend. We've been together for three years now. Wayna loves her and she adores him."

"So the change in career worked out for you."

"More than worked out Roy. I love my job."

"Mr Gage!"

"Yes."

"Chief Stanley is ready for you."

"Thanks Debbie."

Johnny held out his hand. "It was nice catching up with you Roy."

Roy shook Johnny's hand. "Maybe we could get together."

"It would have to be in a couple of months Roy. Wayna and I will be in Boston for the next two months." Johnny started to head towards Hank's office. "When we get back for sure." Roy watched his once paramedic partner enter the office of his once Captain.

They were different people now with different priorities. He did miss Johnny's zest for life sometimes, but then he would think about some of the crazy ideas he would get obsessed about. He shook his head and reconsidered his thinking; no he preferred his quieter family way of life. He liked being an engineer as much as he had liked being a paramedic and one day he would move onto being a captain. He was happy with his life.

Apart from a few lines around the eyes his partner looked the same. Roy had lost a lot of his hair but apart from that he still pretty much looked the same also. The two men who were once regarded as the best paramedic team in the county had made the right choices to move on. Roy remembered accusing Johnny of not being able to handle commitment, and see things through to the end. He was glad he had been proven wrong.


End file.
